Nine pharmaceutical CEO's have joined forces to say they won't try to push through a Covid 19 vaccine for political reasons. They say they're committed to safety and having a vaccine that works.
The CEO's also say they won't rush the approval process until the vaccines have successfully completed phase three trials.
Baylor college of medicine Vaccine expert and developer Dr. Peter Hotez believes the public has grown cynical, especially since the Trump administration has touted a possible vaccine ahead of the election.
Dr. Hotez says there will not be an October Surprise. He would feel comfortable with any shot that's gone through a full approval process by the FDA. "The more difficult sell is going to be if they decide to do any kind of emergency use authorization. That's going to require a lot of explaining to the public."
Dr. Hotez adds "We still do not have an understanding what an emergency use authorization is for a vaccine and I was not happy they still left that on the table because we don't know what that means,"
He believes the White House has refused to conduct any kind of communication strategy and oversight over Operation Warp Speed. "They're leaving it to the companies, and the companies can't help themselves. The companies are still sending out press releases that don't make any sense and interviews that don't make any sense. And until we fix that the public is not going to have as much confidence in our vaccine program as we should."
He does not think a safe, effective FDA approved vaccine will be ready until the middle of next year, and even then, we still may need to wear face masks implement contact tracing as it may not offer 100 percent protection. "It's not going to be a panacea or a magic solution."