Alejandro A. Tagliavini *
One of the most talked about news these days has been that the CEO of Pfizer sold 5.56 million dollars in shares of the company (more than 60% of its participation) on the same day that the pharmaceutical company announced that its vaccine against coronavirus was more than 90% effective, while its executive vice president also got rid of shares that, that same day, closed with an increase of almost 8% and, since then, have fallen as in the stock markets the news of the vaccine cools.
Strategy that brings to mind another swap operation by executives of another biotechnology company, Moderna, when on May 18 it reaped highs on Wall Street with increases of 30% when announcing promising results of its vaccine. The next day, the company’s CFO exercised 241,000 options for $ 3 million and then sold them immediately for $ 19.8 million, securing a profit of $ 16.8 million.
Nuño Domínguez and Ignacio Fariza wrote in Madrid’s El País that Pfizer “is already closing million-dollar contracts to sell its vaccine to various countries, but the truth is that the only public proof of its effectiveness is a press release from the company itself that it does not answer fundamental questions” and the executives of both companies did not answer their questions.
While «It is unacceptable that the top manager of a company earns so much money on the same day that such a vague announcement is made, without hardly knowing details about the efficacy of the vaccine,» said Marcos López Hoyos, president of the Spanish Society of Immunology.
By the way, Moderna didn’t want to be left behind in this race (to earn money thanks to politicians?) to fight the covid and has announced that the effectiveness of its vaccine is 94%, but also without an endorsement that certifies it. It would only be missing that some exaggerated in his rush to win the race say that he has achieved a remedy with 120% effectiveness.
In other words, these pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the public panic, spurred on by governments, to build juicy deals with the bureaucrats who decide which vaccine is supposedly good and which is not, as if they were not susceptible to being bribed. It is very easy for an official to write a statement – in exchange for «a little money» – saying that a vaccine is excellent, since if later the general public that naively believes in the «official information» suffers great damage, they simply cover it up thanks to the great propaganda power they have.
Even if it was not mandatory, which it will probably be in countries with little respect for the human right to freedom – and great desire to do business between politicians and pharmaceutical companies – the world market created by «the need to vaccinate» a large part of humanity is huge and the profits are astonishing: a renowned Swiss bank estimates them at 10 billion dollars a year, in the US alone.
Instead, people – the market – risk their own lives when deciding to take a vaccine, therefore, they are not susceptible to being bribed and, if it is good for them, the word will spread among family and friends and others will take it. This is the main argument for vaccination to be totally voluntary, in addition to respect for a basic moral principle such as the human right to freedom.
* Senior Advisor at The Cedar Portfolio and Member of the Advisory Council of the Center on Global Prosperity, de Oakland, California
Alejandro A. Tagliavini 
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