MARIA: WELCOME BACK, MAINLY
NEWS ON PFIZER BIONTECH
COVID-19 VACCINE THE COMPANIES
ANNOUNCED THEY WILL SUBMIT
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION
REQUESTS TO THE FDA, TODAY.
BOTH ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE
UP TO 50 MILLION DOSES COVID
VACCINE HE GLOBAL IN 2020,
AFTER 1.3 BILLION DOESDZ BY
END OF 2021 SAYS THE VACCINE
WILL BE READY FOR DISTRIBUTION
WITHIN HOURS AFTER
AUTHORIZATION JOINING ME TO
TALK ABOUT THAT U.S. HEALTH
HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY ALEX
AZAR THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE ONCE AGAIN.
>> GREAT TO BE WITH YOU, MARIA
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> YOUR REACTION, TO THIS
NEWS, AMAZING TO ME, THAT THEY
COULD ACTUALLY HE BE READY
WITHIN HOURS OF GETTING THE
EMERGENCY USE, HOW SOON COULD
APPROVAL HAPPEN?
AND THE VACCINE BEING
ADMINISTERED?
>> WILL, YOU KNOW THANKS TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP, HOPE AND
HEALTH ON THE WAY TOMORROW
MORNING LITERALLY 10 MONTHS
FROM PLAGUE HITTING OUR SHORES
TODAY PFIZER FILING EMERGENCY
USE AUTHORIZATION 59%
EFFECTIVE VACCINE THANKS TO
OPERATION WARP SPEED SUPPORT
WE WILL ANNOUNCE FDA ADVISORY
DATE FDA WILL USE ASSUMING
DATA AS CLEAN AS APPEARS
ASSUMING THERE AREN’T ANY
OTHER HITCHES IN THE PROCESS,
WE COULD LITTLE BE LOOKING AT
AUTHORIZATION OF THIS VACCINE
WITHIN WEEKS, AND AS GENERAL
FROM DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
OPERATION WARP SHE HAD SAID WE
WILL HAVE SHIPMENT WITHIN 24
HOURS MILLIONS OF DOSES OF
THIS VACCINE OUT TO AMERICAN
PEOPLE TO GET TO MOST
VULNERABLE OF OUR CITIZENS.
>> WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN
TERMS OF THE DISTRIBUTION
BECAUSE I KNOW THIS INVOLVES A
REFRIGERATION MECHANISM, HOW
MANY OF US DO YOU BELIEVE WILL
HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET
ACCESS TO THIS VACCINE, IN
SHORT ORDER?
>> A SO WHAT WE’VE SAID WE
EXPECT TO HAVE 40 MILLION
DOSES OF COMBINATION OF PFIZER
AND MODERNA VACCINE BY END OF
DECEMBER THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH
TO VACCINATE 20 MILLION PEOPLE
JUST IN THE -- MONTH AND A
HALF THAT REMAINS IN THIS YEAR
A, GENERAL LAID OUT LAST NIGHT
AT PUBLIC TASK FORCE WHITE
HOUSE BRIEFING, THE COLD
STORAGE OF REQUIREMENT ON
PFIZER VACCINE ARE NOT
SOMETHING TO BE AFRAID OF IT
IS WELL MANAGED WE HAVE WORKED
OUT OVER SIX MONTHS
OPERATIONAL PLANS WITH PFIZER
WITH OUR STATE AND WITH OUR
MAJOR WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS
RETAIL PHARMACIES THIS WILL
NOT BE ISSUE GETTING THIS
VACCINE OUT THERE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
MARIA: LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT
THE DIRECTOR OF THE FDA CENTER
FOR BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS PETER
MARX SAID WOULD TAKE WEEKS TO
REVIEW ANY VACCINE APPLICATION
TO RUN TRANSPARENT PROCESS TO
BUILD TRUST IF VETTING PROCESS
IS NOT FOLLOWED OR RUSHED, HE
WOULD RESIGN FROM THE AGENCY,
YOUR REACTION.
>> WELL, DR. MARKS IS A VERY
FINE OFFICIAL HAS BEEN I CAN
ASSURE YOU COMMITTED TO WORK
OF OPERATION WARP SHE HAD I
CAN ASSURE YOU HAS DEEP SENSE
OF COMMITMENT TO THE URGENCY
OF GETTING SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
VACCINES TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, I WILL ENSURE THAT
THERE IS A TRANSPARENT
INDEPENDENT PROCESS BECAUSE
I’M GOING TO ENSURE ANY
VACCINE IS ONE I WOULD TAKE
FRANKLY I AM GOING TO ASK TO
TAKE THE VACCINE, AS SOON AS
ANYBODY WILL LET ME BECAUSE I
WANT TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, MY -- MY
SINCERE CONFIDENCE IN THE
INDEPENDENCE OF THE PROCESS
AND THE QUALITY OF THE DATA.
>> SO, WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES
IN TERMS OF WHO GETS ACCESS
FIRST THEN SECRETARY?
ARE YOU LOOKING TO MAKE THIS
AVAILABLE TO THOSE VERY
VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY
OLDER SENIORS?
ARE YOU LOOKING TO GET TO IT
YOUNG PEOPLE SO THEY CAN GO
OUT AND ABOUT AND KEEP OUR
ECONOMY GOING?
WHAT IS YOUR THINKING?
>> SO WE WILL BE DETERMINING
VERY SOON OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
OUT TO GOVERNOR WHOM WE THINK
SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED BASED ON
DATA WE HAVE SEEN FOR PFIZER
AND MODERNA VACCINE, WHAT WILL
HAPPEN IS THERE IS AN ADVISER
COMMITTEE AT CDC WILL MAKE
FORMAL RECOMMENDATION THE CDC
DIRECTOR AND I MAKE AFIABLE
RECOMMENDATION TO THE STATE
THE GROUPS WE SHOULD BE
THINKING ABOUT FAIRLY
OBVIOUSLY, OUR MOST
VULNERABLE, THOSE IN NURSING
HOMES AASSISTED I LIVING
HEALTH CARE WORKERS FIRST
RESPONDERS COHORTS MOST
THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF
MAKING SURE WE GET BIGGEST
BANG FOR THE BUCK WITH INITIAL
MILLIONS OF DOSES OF VACCINE
THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE.
>> THANK GOD FOR HEALTH CARE
WORKERS ON FRONTLINES THAT IS
FOR SURE, I WANT TO SWITCH
GEARS ASK YOU ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF TWO
NEW RULES TO LOWER DRUG PRICES
IN THE UNITED STATES, GOING TO
BE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THIS
LATER TODAY,, AS YOU KNOW,
SECRETARY, ONE RULE WOULD
LIMIT REBATES PAID TO MIDDLE
MEN INING MEDICARE THE OTHER
WOULD PUSH BEING MEDICARE TO
LOWER DRUG PRICES, LINKED TO
PRICES CHARGED IN OTHER
COUNTRIES SECRETARY WHAT CAN
WE EXPECT FROM THIS PRESS
CONFERENCE?
HOW COME THE PRICES OF OUR
DRUGS ARE NOT LINKED TO THE
COMPETITIVE GLOBAL BACKDROP
RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, MARIA, I AM NOT ABLE
TO COMMENT ON WHAT THE
PRESIDENT WILL BE ANNOUNCING
WITH RESPECT TO DRUG PRICING
SUFFICE TO SAY IT IS GOING TO
BE IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT TO
BRING DOWN PRICES FOR
AMERICANS WHEN I INTERVIEWED O
WITH THE PRESIDENT FOCUS WAS
GETTING DRYING PRICES DOWN
FIRST MEETING I HAD WITH
PRESIDENT ONCE I TOOK OFFICE
WAS COORDINATING A GAME PLAN
ON WHAT WE SHOULD DO TO GET
DRUG PRICES DOWN MAY 2018
ROLLED OUT YOU BLUEPRINT HAVE
BEEN MAVNG MASSIVE THROUGH
THAT IMPORTATION OF SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE MEN’S IN UNITED
STATES DEEPLY COMMITTED
GETTING OUT OF POCKETS DOWN
LIST PRICES DOWN ENDING
FOREIGN FREE RIDES STRONG
SOCIALIST SYSTEMIZED ABROAD
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS COURAGE AT
A TAKE ON SPECIAL INTERESTS A
REASON SPECIAL INTERESTS HAVE
NOT BEEN TAKEN ON BEFORE THEY
ARE POWERFUL THEY FIGHT BACK
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS COURAGE TO
TAKE THEM ON I AM NOT GOING TO
PREEMPT HIM LET HIM ANNOUNCE
WHAT HE IS GOING TO ANNOUNCE
HE IS FIGHTING FOR AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND AMERICA’S SENIORS,
AS YOU KNOW,.
>> PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK HAVE TO
DEAL WITH PRICES THAT IN SO HE
WILL CASES A CANCER PATIENT IT
COULD COST TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS, A YEAR.
JUST TO GET THAT MEDICINE.
WHY WHY HAS THIS BEEN SO
EXPENSIVE?
I KNOW IT IS A MILLION-DOLLAR
QUESTION, DEALING WITH THIS SO
LONG I KNOW IT WAS A CAMPAIGN
PROMISE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, TO
GET THESE NUMBERS DOWN, BUT --
CHARACTERIZE HOW SIGNIFICANT
THIS IS WHEN YOU’VE GOT A
CANCER PATIENT NEEDING ONE
ROUND OR TWO ROUNDS OF
MEDICINE, COST 50G,000 DOLLARS
IN CASES.
>> YOU THE CANNING BE
LIFE-THREATENING, I GUESS WHAT
IS GALLING TO ME THE FACT
AMERICA SENIORS PAY AS MUCH AS
TWO TIMES WHAT WITH WELL
DEVELOPED ADVANCED HEALTH
SYSTEMS IN EUROPE PAY FOR
EXACT SAME MEDICINE COMING OFF
SAME PRODUCTION LINES AMERICAN
PATIENTS ARE NOT GETTING THE
BENEFIT, OF THE 40 BILLION
DOLLARS OF REBATES THAT DRUG
COMPANIES PAY TO MIL MEN, WHEN
THEY SHOW UP AT THE
PHARMACIES, WHEN ESPECIALLY
IN JANUARY, WHEN THEY ARE IN
THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PERIOD
HEALTH PLAN PAYING STICKER
PRICE MIDDLE MAN GETTING A
KICKBACK OFTENTIMES 30% OF
THAT DRUG THE MORE SOMEBODY
PACES OUT OF POCKET WE KNOW
LESS ADHERE TO THAT MEDICINE
THERE IS A REASON YOU NEED TO
TAKE MEDICINES TO IMPROVE
HEALTH OUTCOMES.
>> ABSOLUTELY WE WILL BE