President Donald Trump demanded that pharmaceutical companies release data pertaining to the success rates of their Covid "drugs" in order to clear up the what he called a discrepancy "mess" over the products, though some information already appears to be available.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump wrote that he's seen "extraordinary" information "from Pfizer, and others" that has never been released to the public. He expressed skepticism as to why the data has not been released despite the division over the success of Covid "drugs."
"They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they don’t seem to be showing them to many others," Trump wrote. "I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!!"
He did not specify what data he would like to be released, nor what specific "drugs" he meant, whether that be vaccination or anti-viral medications such as Paxlovid.
Pfizer, the only company named by Trump, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a press release announcing its distribution for new vaccinations last week, the company did include a link to its most recent presentation, from May, on its vaccine efficacy.
Moderna’s presentation, also from May, is similarly available through the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
In May 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Trump launched Operation Warp Speed, a partnership between the public and private sectors to advance a Covid vaccination. Trump has defended Operation Warp Speed as a success despite rampant anti-vaccination sentiment.
He referenced Operation Warp Speed in his post, saying he hoped it was as "brilliant" as some have praised.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., echoed Trump's call for "radical transparency" in a post on X on Monday, describing Trump's project during his first presidency as a crowning achievement.
"People who criticize President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed typically misrepresent and carefully select their facts," Cassidy wrote. "We should be honest about the success of Operation Warp Speed."
Vaccinations must be approved through the FDA, which requires companies to submit data for review. Since 2020, manufacturers have submitted new Covid vaccines for approval to target specific strains similar to the annual flu vaccination.
The latest vaccination strain was unanimously approved to be distributed this fall by the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced last week that there would be restrictions on recommendations for who could get the vaccine. The vaccination would be approved for adults 65 and older as well as for kids and adults with at least one medical condition that puts them at risk of severe illness, he said.
Kennedy is a well-known vaccine skeptic who terminated all the members on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent vaccine advisory committee this summer.
Conflict over vaccination reached a fever-pitch last week when former CDC director Susan Monarez was fired. Her termination led to a mass exodus of other high-ranking officials at the agency and protests outside the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
