President Donald Trump called on pharmaceutical companies to release their Covid “drug” success rate data to address what he described as a “mess” of discrepancies over the products, even though some data already seems accessible.
On Monday, Trump claimed on Truth Social to have seen “extraordinary” information from “Pfizer, and others” that hasn’t been shared with the public. He raised doubts as to why this data remains unreleased amid debates about the success of Covid “drugs.”
“They show me GREAT numbers and results, yet they don’t seem to share them widely,” wrote Trump, urging, “I want them to present them NOW, to the CDC and public, to resolve this MESS, one way or another!!!”
Trump did not clarify which data he wants released or specify which “drugs” he refers to, whether vaccinations or antiviral treatments like Paxlovid.
Pfizer, the sole company Trump mentioned, did not immediately provide a comment. Last week, in a press release about new vaccine distributions, the company did include a link to a May presentation on vaccine efficacy.
Moderna’s presentation, also from May, is similarly available through the Food and Drug ministration’s website.
In May 2020, at the pandemic’s peak, Trump introduced Operation Warp Speed, a collaboration between public and private entities for Covid vaccine development. He has supported Operation Warp Speed as a success despite prevalent anti-vaccine attitudes.
He referenced Operation Warp Speed in his post, saying he hoped it was as “brilliant” as some have praised.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., echoed Trump’s call for “radical transparency” in a post on X on Monday, describing Trump’s project during his first presidency as a crowning achievement.
“People who criticize President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed typically misrepresent and carefully select their facts,” Cassidy wrote. “We should be honest about the success of Operation Warp Speed.”
Vaccinations must be approved through the FDA, which requires companies to submit data for review. Since 2020, manufacturers have submitted new Covid vaccines for approval to target specific strains similar to the annual flu vaccination.
The latest vaccination strain was unanimously approved to be distributed this fall by the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products visory Committee.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced last week that there would be restrictions on recommendations for who could get the vaccine. The vaccination would be approved for adults 65 and older as well as for kids and adults with at least one medical condition that puts them at risk of severe illness, he said.
Kennedy is a well-known vaccine skeptic who terminated all the members on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent vaccine advisory committee this summer.
Conflict over vaccination reached a fever-pitch last week when former CDC director Susan Monarez was fired. Her termination led to a mass exodus of other high-ranking officials at the agency and protests outside the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
