Senators Urge Pfizer to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Production to Combat Global Disparities

Strategic Insights -

Nine U.S. Senators, led by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, have called on Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna to increase COVID-19 vaccine production in low- and middle-income countries, citing the need to tackle the global disparities in vaccine access. The senators argue that if vaccination rates do not improve, the virus will continue to threaten lives and the global economy, prolonging the need for booster shots and creating conditions for the emergence of new variants.

Key Takeaways:

  • The senators are concerned about Pfizer's commitment to providing vaccines for low-income and middle-income countries, citing the need for immediate action to make the vaccine more widely available to communities around the globe.
  • Over 6.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, but less than 10% of people living in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
  • Despite a significant contribution from the United States, the COVAX international vaccine aid program has fallen hundreds of millions of doses short of its vaccine distribution goals.
  • Experts estimate that another 4.5 billion doses are needed to fully vaccinate 80% of the world's seven billion people over the age of five years, and up to 6 billion additional doses may be needed in 2022 for booster shots.
  • Pfizer is in a strong financial position to increase its contribution to global vaccination efforts, with projected earnings of up to $54.5 billion in 2022 from COVID-19 vaccine sales.
  • The senators call on Pfizer to provide more vaccine doses at not-for-profit prices to COVAX and low-income and middle-income countries, increase transparency of its processes and records, and waive indemnification for refugee and internally displaced person populations.
  • The Senators also urge Pfizer to engage with the Biden Administration to identify barriers beyond supply and implement additional strategies to expand access to mRNA vaccines.

Statistics:

  • Over 6.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide (Source: [1])
  • Less than 10% of people living in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine (Source: [1])
  • COVAX has fallen hundreds of millions of doses short of its vaccine distribution goals (Source: [2])
  • 4.5 billion additional doses are needed to fully vaccinate 80% of the world's population over the age of five years (Source: [12])
  • 6 billion additional doses may be needed in 2022 for booster shots (Source: [12])
  • Pfizer's projected earnings from COVID-19 vaccine sales are up to $54.5 billion in 2022 (Source: [17], [18])
  • 25% of people who contract COVID-19 and survive may experience chronic symptoms known as long COVID (Source: [7])
  • The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects 6.26 million reported deaths and 13.63 million reported and unreported deaths due to COVID-19 by March 1st 2022 (Source: [6])

Sources:

  • [1] University of Oxford and Global Change Data Lab. Share of people who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • [2] Airfinity Limited. COVID-19 vaccine production.
  • [6] Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington. COVID-19 Projections: Cumulative deaths.
  • [7] FAIR Health White Paper. A detailed study of patients with long-haul COVID: An analysis of private healthcare claims.
  • [12] Washington Post. Pfizer and Moderna's mRNA vaccines are our best chance to end this pandemic. Break up their duopoly.
  • [17] Wall Street Journal. Pfizer raises COVID-19 vaccine forecast as sales more than double.
  • [18] Fierce Pharma. Pfizer, Moderna will rake in a combined $93 billion next year on COVID-19 vaccine sales: Report.