“To be clear, we do not, and never would, engage in research to create or adapt viruses with the intention of making them more contagious or harmful to people,” Pfizer said to Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX).
QUICK FACTS:
- Member of the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) sent a letter to Pfizer asking for answers regarding its gain-of-function research.
- Pfizer responded to the letter, denying conducting gain-of-function research.
- “To be clear, we do not, and never would, engage in research to create or adapt viruses with the intention of making them more contagious or harmful to people,” said Pfizer.
- When a new variant of Covid-19 emerges, Pfizer adapts “the virus in a highly secure lab so that the spike protein matches the newly identified circulating variants.”
- This type of research is “necessary both for assessing the effectiveness of existing vaccines and new vaccine candidates targeted at currently circulating variants,” according to Pfizer.
- “As we have previously indicated, we then isolate the new viruses from these studies, or adapt viruses with targeted changes in the main protease, and test to see whether Paxlovid is still effective,” the letter added, referring to Pfizer’s oral treatment for Covid.
- Rep. Jackson said the response was “woefully inadequate,” adding he was “highly disappointed that their response came almost a month late and failed to answer many of [his] questions.”
- The congressman noted that he “demanded Pfizer clarify the difference between directed evolution and gain-of-function research, however, their response did not address that,” which ultimately “brings more questions than it answers.”
2023.02.23 – Response Letter by Breitbart News
PFIZER “ENGINEERING” COVID MUTATIONS:
- The claim that prompted several congressional letters to Pfizer occurred when Pfizer Director of Research and Development, Strategic Operations, mRNA Scientific Planner Jordon Trishton Walker stated the company engages in research for “selected structure mutations.”
- Pfizer also published a press release in response to the gain-of-function claims by claiming “when a full virus does not contain any known gain of function mutations, such virus may be engineered to enable the assessment of antiviral activity in cells.”
- Molecular biologist at Rutgers University Professor Richard Ebright believes Pfizer’s press release “unequivocally” suggests that Pfizer carried out “high-risk gain-of-function research and enhanced potential pandemic pathogens research.”
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported that former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Robert Redfield called for a “moratorium” on gain-of-function research.
- “We don’t think anyone should be manipulating or engineering this or any other virus,” said Redfield in a statement alongside professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health Dr. Marc Siegel.
- “We think Pfizer and others should stick to incubating SARS-COV-2 with Paxlovid in their biosafety level 3 lab without inducing mutations. To us, that may be a form of gain of function,” the doctors continued.
- “If gain of function didn’t cause this ferocious pandemic, it most certainly can cause the next one,” the doctors concluded.
