Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekar on Friday shared a viral video of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla at Davos ignoring questions on his firm’s vaccine, utilizing it to hit out at senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh. He claimed that the trio saved “pushing” the case for overseas vaccines in India in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bourla, whereas strolling the streets of Davos, was ambushed with questions concerning the Pfizer Covid vaccine stopping virus transmission, however selected to remain silent on the subject.

Sharing the video, Chandrashekar claimed that the pharma big had positioned a situation of an indemnity clause when it supplied its vaccine to India because the second wave was wreaking havoc in 2021. He then went on to say that Gandhi, Chidambaram and Ramesh had pushed for overseas vaccines.

The Pfizer vaccine will not be accessible within the nation as of now. India kickstarted its large vaccination drive in opposition to Covid-19 with AstraZeneca’s Covishield (made by Serum Institute of India) and the indigenous Covaxin. As the pandemic was raging in 2021, there was immense stress on the federal government to purchase Pfizer and Moderna vaccines however it put its foot down because of some drastic phrases, together with an indemnity clause, positioned by the pharmaceutical agency.

Last yr, well being minister Mansukh Mandaviya had reportedly stated each Moderna and Pfizer had positioned the indemnity situation earlier than the federal government. According to the indemnity clause, these two firms couldn’t be held accountable or be prosecuted beneath Indian regulation in case of any extreme aspect impact and even dying on taking their vaccine.

Pfizer CEO ignores questions on Covid vaccine

In the video that has gone viral, nevertheless, Bourla is seen strolling the streets of Switzerland’s Davos whereas attending the World Economic Forum. Two reporters ambush him with questions concerning the Pfizer vaccine’s skill to stop Covid-19 transmission.

“Mr Bourla, can I ask you – when do you know the vaccines didn’t cease transmission? How lengthy do you know that earlier than saying it publicly?” asks one of the reporters, to which, Bourla responds with a curt “thank you very much”.

The reporter pursues the CEO and asks him if why he saved the actual fact about his firm’s vaccine not stopping transmission a secret. “You stated it was 100% efficient, then 90%, then 80%, then 70%, however we now know that the vaccines don’t cease transmission. Why do you retain that secret?” To this, Bourla says, “Have a nice day.”

Another reporter joins the primary one to ask Bourla if he will probably be refunding all of the international locations that procured the Pfizer vaccine because it was ineffective and inflicting deaths because of myocarditis. They additional ask him if he will probably be issuing an apology to the general public since he “made hundreds of thousands on the backs of individuals’s whole livelihoods”.

The reporters also question if Bourla is worried about product liability and “young men dropping dead of heart attacks every day”. They additionally ask him if he ought to be criminally charged and had personally “made cash” off the vaccine.

“How many boosters do you think it will take for you to be happy enough with your earnings?” says one of many reporters, whereas the opposite one asks him: “Are you used to solely sympathetic media, so that you don’t know how you can reply any questions?”

Negotiating politics biggest challenge during pandemic: Pfizer CEO

On Thursday, Bourla stated the most important problem his firm and different vaccine-makers confronted in the course of the pandemic was negotiating the politics.

Sitting on a panel about pandemic preparedness at the World Economic Forum, he said mask-wearing, vaccine efficacy or questions about delivering the vaccines were all politicised and were constant obstacles for vaccine-makers. He further said protectionism as a result of fear meant the governments closed down borders, making it difficult to export vaccines or bring in raw materials needed to make them.

(With agency inputs)

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