Updated x2 :)
As I mentioned in the below post, we knew this was coming - Pfizer has responded with more info, after Moderna's more complete press release, considering Moderna went ahead and answered more questions in their initial press release than Pfizer initially did.
Pfizer just announced their late-stage trial results proved their vaccine to be 95% effective (rather than preliminary phase 2 results of 90% initially reported), had no side effects, prevented both severe and mild forms of COVID, and had long-lasting immunity.
Hmm.
Now, that's all very interesting - because not only does their own clinical trial phase 1 study at clinicaltrials.com list "fever" as the first primary outcome, but we've seen interviews on the news of people who were part of Pfizer's vaccine study, who said they had high fevers, felt like they got hit but a truck, or like they had a "bad hangover" for a few days?
Also interesting because Pfizer imagines they have a crystal ball and can predict "long-lasting immunity" after only six months, when they couldn't possibly know that yet, no one does lol
But that's big pharma for you ;)
IMO, this doesn't help Pfizer - it actually makes their claims look more dubious - so still leaning towards Moderna, then - sorry.
But of course, my insurance would dictate which one we get anyway, based on who offered them the best contracting/rebates ;)
As for government intervention, the federal government can't dictate which vaccines or medications that private/commercial insurance companies and doctors choose, only for public insurance like Medicare and Medicaid.
HOWEVER, what federal government can do, and will likely do - if they haven't already - is legally mandate COVID a protected class, like cancer or HIV are now, so that commercial insurance companies will be mandated to offer all options by law, they won't be allowed to exclude any vaccine options or medications that have been FDA approved.
This means that all options will be available on Medicare and Medicaid at a similar price - but not necessarily the same price - contracting/rebates are still allowed and prices still vary, the price of drugs is just held within a range.
HOWEVER - with private commercial insurance, just because private insurance is mandated to cover all options for a certain disease (like HIV) doesn't mean at the same price, and that they won't have restrictions and step edits to force you to choose the one they want you to - they can and most certainly will, putting so many restrictions and step-throughs in place that virtually no one will get the non-preferred brand.
So having different prices for things like this sounds good in theory for free enterprise, but look what happens in practice, in America ...
The "preferred" option on commercial insurance does NOT necessarily mean the most efficacious drug, nor even what actual participating providers prefer to prescribe - all that "preferred" means - all things being equal/having similar efficacy on vaccines/drugs in a larger population - is that your insurance company will then choose a "preferred" medication based solely on the contracting/rebate deal the manufacturer gave your insurance company.
And guess which manufacturers usually wins the contracting deals - big pharma, because they can afford to offer the best financial rebates ;)
This is why doctors often get up in arms about not having control over what they want to prescribe for their patients' individual/personalized needs or other comorbidities you might have in addition to that diagnosis, being at the mercy of financial deals their private insurance companies made based on similar efficacy in a larger population trial.
Now, for a vaccine, this likely means, the "preferred" option will either be offered 'free' (or covered by your premiums already) or go on a tier 2 or 3, branded with a copay, and any other options (manufacturers who did not give them the best deal) will go on specialty tier at a premium coinsurance price - usually over $100, at the very minimum.
Thus, we are then at the mercy of which company offers the best contracting deal to our insurance companies, unfortunately, and will have no say, possibly with the option of paying more out of pocket if we want another "non-preferred" brand.
It doesn't make us socialists, to have just our healthcare subsidized/socialized - it puts the actual health needs of our population above the almighty dollar, ensuring all options are available to your doctors and to you, at an affordable price, keeping within a particular range the cost of healthcare - and manufacturer contracting/rebates still apply, so there's still price variation.
Both vaccines have similar efficacy - and both cost $500,000 per shot (I just made up that figure, which actually isn't beyond the realm of possibility with the price of current drugs today).
Now, what happens?
Also - and I doubt this would happen with COVID vaccines, but it does happen with other drugs - some less ethical insurance companies could conceivably make you "step through" Pfizer's vaccine first, and fail it - meaning you caught COVID - before getting Moderna's.
However, if your name is Trump, apparently you're allowed to peddle whatever brand you have hedge fund shares in yourself or who support you politically, using false facts to sell you on it lol.
At present, however, Trump is taking credit for both via Twitter, though he literally had nothing to do with the development of either vaccine lol
PS - 11/20/20
Updated x2 :)
As I mentioned in the below post, we knew this was coming - Pfizer has responded with more info, after Moderna's more complete press release, considering Moderna went ahead and answered more questions in their initial press release than Pfizer initially did.
Pfizer just announced their late-stage trial results proved their vaccine to be 95% effective (rather than preliminary phase 2 results of 90% initially reported), had no side effects, prevented both severe and mild forms of COVID, and had long-lasting immunity.
Hmm.
Now, that's all very interesting - because not only does their own clinical trial phase 1 study at clinicaltrials.com list "fever" as the first primary outcome, but we've seen interviews on the news of people who were part of Pfizer's vaccine study, who said they had high fevers, felt like they got hit but a truck, or like they had a "bad hangover" for a few days?
Also interesting because Pfizer imagines they have a crystal ball and can predict "long-lasting immunity" after only six months, when they couldn't possibly know that yet, no one does lol
But that's big pharma for you ;)
IMO, this doesn't help Pfizer - it actually makes their claims look more dubious - so still leaning towards Moderna, then - sorry.
But of course, my insurance would dictate which one we get anyway, based on who offered them the best contracting/rebates ;)
As for government intervention, the federal government can't dictate which vaccines or medications that private/commercial insurance companies and doctors choose, only for public insurance like Medicare and Medicaid.
HOWEVER, what federal government can do, and will likely do - if they haven't already - is legally mandate COVID a protected class, like cancer or HIV are now, so that commercial insurance companies will be mandated to offer all options by law, they won't be allowed to exclude any vaccine options or medications that have been FDA approved.
This means that all options will be available on Medicare and Medicaid at a similar price - but not necessarily the same price - contracting/rebates are still allowed and prices still vary, the price of drugs is just held within a range.
HOWEVER - with private commercial insurance, just because private insurance is mandated to cover all options for a certain disease (like HIV) doesn't mean at the same price, and that they won't have restrictions and step edits to force you to choose the one they want you to - they can and most certainly will, putting so many restrictions and step-throughs in place that virtually no one will get the non-preferred brand.
So having different prices for things like this sounds good in theory for free enterprise, but look what happens in practice, in America ...
The "preferred" option on commercial insurance does NOT necessarily mean the most efficacious drug, nor even what actual participating providers prefer to prescribe - all that "preferred" means - all things being equal/having similar efficacy on vaccines/drugs in a larger population - is that your insurance company will then choose a "preferred" medication based solely on the contracting/rebate deal the manufacturer gave your insurance company.
And guess which manufacturers usually wins the contracting deals - big pharma, because they can afford to offer the best financial rebates ;)
This is why doctors often get up in arms about not having control over what they want to prescribe for their patients' individual/personalized needs or other comorbidities you might have in addition to that diagnosis, being at the mercy of financial deals their private insurance companies made based on similar efficacy in a larger population trial.
Now, for a vaccine, this likely means, the "preferred" option will either be offered 'free' (or covered by your premiums already) or go on a tier 2 or 3, branded with a copay, and any other options (manufacturers who did not give them the best deal) will go on specialty tier at a premium coinsurance price - usually over $100, at the very minimum.
Thus, we are then at the mercy of which company offers the best contracting deal to our insurance companies, unfortunately, and will have no say, possibly with the option of paying more out of pocket if we want another "non-preferred" brand.
See, that's the thing that people don't understand, when it comes to having subsidized/socialized healthcare - they hear the word "subsidized" and "socialized" and panic - but it doesn't mean "socialist" in the traditional sense, there are still choices and price variations.
It doesn't make us socialists, to have just our healthcare subsidized/socialized - it puts the actual health needs of our population above the almighty dollar, ensuring all options are available to your doctors and to you, at an affordable price, keeping within a particular range the cost of healthcare - and manufacturer contracting/rebates still apply, so there's still price variation.
Both vaccines have similar efficacy - and both cost $500,000 per shot (I just made up that figure, which actually isn't beyond the realm of possibility with the price of current drugs today).
Now, what happens?
Also - and I doubt this would happen with COVID vaccines, but it does happen with other drugs - some less ethical insurance companies could conceivably make you "step through" Pfizer's vaccine first, and fail it - meaning you caught COVID - before getting Moderna's.
However, if your name is Trump, apparently you're allowed to peddle whatever brand you have hedge fund shares in yourself or who support you politically, using false facts to sell you on it lol.
At present, however, Trump is taking credit for both via Twitter, though he literally had nothing to do with the development of either vaccine lol
PS - 11/20/20
Now, look at Pfizer, trying to get FDA approval on emergency use of their vaccine, when we don't even know the full side effects or who is eligible yet lol.
Okay, but this is prevention, not actual treatment?
I mean, this is brand-new technology, mRNA treatment. Five years from now, someone could develop a zombie-like appetite for human lungs, for all we know, or they care, at this point, just so long as they get to set the price and made a quick buck in the beginning lol
In addition to Moderna, AstraZeneca and DNA have released info on their vaccines, you see, and Pfizer wants first dibs on profit ;)
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