Things are moving fast, but I wanted to give you a quick update on some significant developments in the work you and Public Citizen are doing together.

All of this happened on just one day this week (and it’s not even all we did that day).

- ONE -

On Wednesday — as reported in The Washington Post — Public Citizen released an analysis of parts of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing process.

Our analysis is based on information we uncovered in a leaked contract between the pharmaceutical giant and European countries.

This is a watershed moment in humanity’s battle against the coronavirus.

• Pfizer and Moderna have failed to share their vaccine “recipes” even as the pandemic burns across the planet.

• Instead, these corporations have been profiteering from the pandemic by selling vaccines at high prices to rich countries while providing little more than scraps to poorer countries.

• By hoarding information about how to produce these vaccines — even though they were developed with massive public funding in the first place — Pfizer and Moderna are endangering the entire world’s chances of ending the pandemic.

• As we noted in a statement to all the major media outlets, “Scientists worldwide, with the right tools and support, could help make many more vaccine doses — but not if basic manufacturing standards are held as corporate secrets.”

Public Citizen is calling for the Biden administration to make the vaccine recipe available to the world (with reasonable compensation) because ending the pandemic and saving lives MUST come before more profits for Big Pharma.

- TWO -

Also on Wednesday, a key committee in the House of Representatives proposed an initial $2 billion to expand global and domestic vaccine manufacturing as part of the $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan working its way through Congress.

Public Citizen is leading the drive for the United States to do its part in ending the pandemic everywhere.

• We have calculated that it would take $25 billion to produce enough vaccine to end the pandemic worldwide.

• It is a humanitarian imperative not to let millions die around the world when we can prevent that catastrophe for the same amount of money Donald Trump wanted for his absurd border wall.

• And — unlike Trump’s wall — this investment would actually protect Americans, by ending the pandemic before ever more dangerous COVID variants mutate and spread across the globe.

This initial $2 billion down payment is a great start — and it is a direct result of the work you and Public Citizen are doing together day in and day out.

Of course, our work is not done.

Together, we must continue pressing the Biden Administration and Congress to invest the full $25 billion needed to end this pandemic worldwide.

- THREE -

This one — again, from Wednesday — includes some discouraging news about a small handful of Democrats in Congress who just sold out the American people to side with Big Pharma and block Medicare from negotiating drug prices.

This is a setback, but it just means we have to roll up our sleeves and work even harder against the pharmaceutical titans and their bought-and-paid-for puppets in Congress.

• Americans pay far more for prescription medicines than people in other nations.

• Public Citizen is a leader in the campaign to fight Big Pharma’s price-gouging by passing a law that would allow Medicare to negotiate fairer prices for the 63 million people it covers and make those fairer prices available to tens of millions of other Americans.

• And we were about to get that included in one House committee’s section of the $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan.

• But then three Democrats on that committee — each of whom has taken money from Big Pharma — voted down this commonsense proposal.

We can still win this critical reform, but we have to get it added back into the legislation before the “Build Back Better” bill goes to the floor of the House for a vote.

We are pulling out all the stops to make that happen.

- AND -

That’s a snapshot of one day at Public Citizen — with a concentration on the work we’ve been doing, for half a century and counting, to take on the pharmaceutical industry and to improve public health.

I hope you are as proud, and inspired, as I am to be part of this shared project called Public Citizen.

Together, we make real progress happen.

But corporate greed knows no bounds.

And Uncle Sam is too often in the pocket of Big Business.

This is not the time to rest.

There is far too much work still to do.

If you can, please donate today. As added incentive, a group of longtime benefactors will match anything you can chip in right now dollar-for-dollar.

CONTRIBUTE NOW

Even better:

Sign up for our popular Monthly Donor program (if you haven’t already) and your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar every month for one full year.

Thank you for anything you can chip in.

And thank you for everything you do as part of Public Citizen.

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
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