Els TorreeleDec 15, 2022
Calling it "pure and deadly greed" and "unseemly profiteering", Senator Warren and Senator-elect Peter Welch sent scathing letter to #Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla over company's plan to increase price of its #COVID-19 vaccines by 400% next year to $110-130 per dose. That 's a whopping 10,000% markup from the vaccine's estimated manufacturing cost.
#AccessToMedicines https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/12/pure-and-deadly-greed-lawmakers-slam-pfizers-400-price-hike-on-covid-shots/
“Pure and deadly greed”: Lawmakers slam Pfizer’s 400% price hike on COVID shots

Senators Warren and Welch urged Pfizer to back down from "unseemly profiteering."

Ars Technica
Show threadGregDec 17, 2022
@elstorreele $110-$130 to keep me out of the hospital… I will gladly pay it! Thank you #pfizer and all the scientists that made the #COVID19 #vaccine possible. Folks are quick to criticize #pharma until they desperately need it #ElizabethWarren #Pfizer #thankful
Show threadEls TorreeleDec 17, 2022
@Greg1ds But there is a social contract between pharma companies and society: they get major public support ($ for research, patent monopolies, subsidized markets), so why should they on top of that maximize profits? because they can? They already made many billions of profits during the pandemic - isn't that enough? I am not against fair profits - but this is profiteering and taking advantage of a monopoly position (that they have thanks to public policy)
Show threadGregDec 17, 2022
@elstorreele Pfizer, unlike some other pharmaceutical companies, did not accept federal money for research for the coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer, did not get payments up front even before proving its effort had been successful.
However, the US government agreed to buy $1.95 billion worth of a Pfizer vaccine for at least 100 million doses ($20 per dose)
Finally, in May of 2022 Reuters reported Pfizer to sell all patented drugs (including COVID treatments) at nonprofit in low-income countries.
Show threadEls Torreele
@Greg1ds With all due respect - this is exactly the pharma lobby argument. MAybe you want to read https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02483-w about how many researchers have contributed for 20+ years to build the mRNA technology BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna built on.
The tangled history of mRNA vaccines

Hundreds of scientists had worked on mRNA vaccines for decades before the coronavirus pandemic brought a breakthrough.

Dec 19, 2022 at 8:04pmWeb
Show threadGregDec 19, 2022
@elstorreele Yes…mRNA vaccines have been in the works/studied for many years. We are very fortunate to have truly dedicated scientists who have worked tirelessly to make mRNA vaccines possible. The future looks bright for combatting other illness.
Thank you for sharing the article.
Best regards!