We are waiting for the interim evaluations
But pharmaceutical executives don't seem comforted by the setback. “Today it may be childhood vaccines or mRNA, but tomorrow it will be everything,” said Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and chairman of Moderna, maker of mRNA vaccines. “We need to say not just 'why is this happening?' but also 'where will it stop?'”
With a bad flu season underway, Dean Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories, noted that anti-vaccine rhetoric is hitting seasonal flu shots. “With the push on vaccination, I cannot foresee flu vaccination increasing in this country over the next three years,” he said in a presentation.
Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson had a similarly pessimistic view. “It's clear that this administration has a particular sensitivity when it comes to vaccination, including childhood vaccination,” Hudson said. “I get asked all the time 'what are you going to do to fix this?', and the truth is we just have to remain extremely objective and continue to present the evidence. There's really very little we can do differently” other than wait for the midterm elections, he said.
“We will need to maintain a laser-focused focus on the long-term future of vaccines and deal with any uncertainty about vaccination rates in the short term based on misinformation, Facebook posts and statements from the top,” he said.
Bourla also worried about the conditions Kennedy is creating to attack drug manufacturers. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer with no scientific or medical background, has benefited from lawsuits against vaccine makers, as have many of his allies and advisers. “There's a lot of plaintiffs' playbook there as well,” Bourla said. “Everyone will start litigating.”
