Pfizer’s chief executive said the biggest challenge the company and other vaccine makers face during the pandemic is political negotiations.
Speaking on a panel on pandemic preparedness at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Albert Bourla said wearing face masks, vaccine efficacy or questions about their availability have been politicized and have always been Hurdles for vaccine makers.
“The biggest challenge … is the political challenge,” he said. Protectionism fueled by fear has meant governments have closed borders, making it difficult to export vaccines or import the raw materials needed to make them, he added.
Meanwhile, 39 organizations from nine countries, including Salesforce, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, have pledged to close the global health equity gap. Anglo American, Deloitte, GAVI, Medtronic, Philips, Sanofi and Takeda also signed the Global Health Equity Network’s Zero Health Disparities commitment at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2023. The Commitment includes 10 key commitments by all signatories to embed health equity principles throughout its operations, workforce and guiding philosophy.
