Pfizer, Moderna CEOs Double Down on Vaccines at Davos

One executive blamed "misinformation" for the drop in vaccination rates, while the other called for a regime change at the HHS.

Big Pharma bosses used the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos this week to double down on vaccines, warning that vaccination rates have fallen sharply in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel both used their time at the elite global gathering to lament falling vaccination rates in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, while blaming public skepticism and “misinformation” for what they say is a growing public health problem.

Speaking with the Wall Street Journal’s David Crow, Bourla acknowledged that he and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have found common ground on issues like cancer research and drug pricing. Vaccines, however, remain a point of sharp disagreement.

“There is almost like a religion there,” Bourla said, apparently referring to Kennedy and others who are pushing for stronger vaccine safety. “So I’m very concerned, very frustrated with that. But I continue engaging and we have, as I said, a very strong and respectful…relationship.”

Still, Bourla hinted that diplomacy has its limits. When asked what ultimately needs to change to resolve the conflict, he answered: “The secretary of health.”

The Pfizer chief’s remark about vaccine skepticism bordering on religion directly echoes — and flips — a point made recently by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who argued that vaccine orthodoxy itself has taken on the traits of a belief system. Sen. Paul, an ophthalmologist, said it is the skeptics who are cast out as “non-believers,” while dissent is treated as heresy. Even now, many people continue to assert the COVID-19 shot’s safety and effectiveness with certainty, despite the studies and emerging data that refute those claims.

Bourla’s comments come as he continues to face criticism for statements made during the pandemic, including his claim that Pfizer’s mRNA shot was “100% effective in preventing COVID cases.” The vaccine did not prevent infection or transmission, and the shots caused widespread injuries and deaths.

By early 2021, both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines were already associated with myocarditis and pericarditis—especially in young men—according to safety signals that were downplayed by the CDC. In November, Vinay Prasad, head of the FDA’s biologics division, made the U.S. government’s first official acknowledgment that the shots had killed some healthy children who did not need them, though the total number remains unknown.

That history didn’t stop Moderna’s Stéphane Bancel from doubling down.

Addressing attendees in Davos, Bancel said he regretted not doing more to promote what he described as the vaccines’ safety.

“We were so focused on getting the products out in a short amount of time,” he said, “that I think we underestimated the psychological element… and I don’t think all of us in the field spent enough time explaining that there were no corners cut on safety.”

Bancel then pointed the finger at social media, arguing that online “misinformation” has driven down vaccination rates.

“Look what’s happening in terms of less vaccination across all age ranges around the world,” he said. “If you look at this season—it’s a very bad flu season—vaccination is down in the U.S. 10 percent, despite one of the most terrible flu seasons.”

He went on to warn that respiratory infections like COVID-19, flu, and RSV can trigger a cascade of complications—from coughing that damages mucus barriers to bacterial pneumonia and even septicemia.

“It’s tragic when you see this happening every day,” Bancel said. “Look what’s happening with kids with measles.”

Looking ahead, Bancel predicted that public opinion will eventually swing back in favor of mRNA technology once people see its potential.

“The positive impact, I think, will change the pendulum,” he said.

For now, though, the message from Davos was clear: Big Pharma has no intention of backing away from the vaccine market..

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told the Wall Street Journal’s David Crow that while he and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. have “very productive discussions” on certain issues—cancer cures and the most favored nation deals, for example—they clash when it comes to vaccines.

“There is almost like a religion there,” Bourla said, apparently referring to those who insist on strengthening vaccine safety. “So I’m very concerned, very frustrated with that. But I continue engaging and we have, as I said, a very strong and respectful…relationship.”

Still, he acknowledged that the approach has limits and likely isn’t sustainable over years. When asked what ultimately needs to change, he replied, “The secretary of health.”

Bourla has been widely criticized for falsely promoting Pfizer’s experimental mRNA shot during the pandemic as “100% effective in preventing COVID cases.” It neither prevented infection nor transmission of COVID-19, and is widely believed by many Americans to have caused mass deaths and injuries.

Both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s shots were known as early as February 2021 to be causing myocarditis and pericarditis in young people, particularly young men, but the safety signal was at first buried, then watered down, by the CDC.

In November, Vinay Prasad, who heads the FDA’s biologics division, made the US government’s first official admission that the mRNA shots killed healthy children that didn’t need the shots—the true number is still unknown.

But that didn’t stop Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel from also doubling down on promoting the shots. Speaking to an audience at the WEF summit Bancel said he regretted not promoting the “safety” of the shots enough.

“We were so focused on getting the products out in a short amount of time, as you know, that I think we underestimated the psychological element . . . and I don’t think all of us in the field spent enough time explaining that there were no corners cut on safety.”

The pharma boss then blamed social media “misinformation” for declining vaccination rates, which he said is causing a situation where “people are getting hurt.”

“Look what’s happening in terms of less vaccination across all age ranges around the world. If you look at this season—as you know, it’s a very bad flu season . . . [vaccination is] down in the US 10 percent, despite one of the most terrible flu seasons.”

Bancel went on to warn the public that contracting COVID-19, flu, or RSV is dangerous because coughing can “damage your mucus,” which can then send bacteria into the lungs, which can then lead to pneumonia, which can then lead to septicemia, or blood poisoning.

“It’s tragic when you see this happening every day,” he said. “Look what’s happening with kids with measles.”

Bancel predicted that when people see how well mRNA vaccine technology can be used to fight cancer and other maladies, it will “change the pendulum” of public opinion about mRNA vaccines.