Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, despite the cloudy skies looming over the Pharmalot campus. After all, the birds are still chirping and a cool breeze is wafting by. Moreover, this marks the middle of the week, which means we have managed to survive this far. And this calls for celebration, yes? So please join us as we hoist another cup of delicious stimulation. Remember, no prescription is required. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Have a grand day, and drop us a line if you hear something saucy. …
The contracts the Trump administration signed with Covid-19 vaccine makers prohibit the U.S. from sharing its surplus doses with the rest of the world, Vanity Fair reports. The clauses are designed to ensure that the manufacturers retain liability protection, but they have the effect of projecting the Trump administration’s America First agenda into the Biden era. “That is what has completely and totally prohibited the U.S. from donating or reselling, because it would be in breach of contract,” said a senior administration official. “It is a complete and total ban. Those legal parameters must change before we do anything to help the rest of the world.”
Senior officials in the Trump and Biden administrations knew of oversight and quality assurance problems at the Emergent BioSolutions (EBS) Baltimore plant months before the company accidentally contaminated 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Covid-19 vaccine, according to Politico. Officials with the Trump administration’s vaccine program, Operation Warp Speed, and the Department of Health and Human Services were sent a report in June 2020 on Emergent’s inner workings. Written by a government official, the document concluded that the company’s plan for manufacturing urgently needed Covid-19 vaccines was inadequate.
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