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Moderna and Novavax Respond to Trump’s Demands for COVID Vaccine Evidence
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Key Takeaways
- Moderna and Novavax assert their COVID-19 vaccine data is publicly available and shared with regulators, emphasizing transparency and ongoing research publication.
- Pfizer highlights Operation Warp Speed's success under Trump's leadership, crediting it with saving lives and reducing healthcare costs, while promoting American innovation.
The two companies issued statements detailing the number of studies about the vaccines’ impact.
Moderna and Novavax joined Pfizer in issuing responses to the President's demands for information about the success of COVID vaccines.
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Moderna and Novavax issued responses to President Trump’s demands for information about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The two pharma companies are joining Pfizer, who issued a response earlier this week. On Labor Day, President Trump posted a message on his Truth Social page demanding that the COVID vaccine makers “justify the success” of the vaccines. The tone of the message caused confusion, as it appeared to be both accusing and praising the drug companies at the same time.
What information is President Trump demanding?
The President’s post reads, “Many people think (the COVID vaccines) are a miracle that saved millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW. I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public.”
In a post on its own website, Moderna reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and says that it welcomes the opportunity to share its collected research about the impact of its COVID vaccines.1 According to the company, this research has already been publicly published in “hundreds” of peer-reviewed journals which that regulators have access to.
The post says, “Since 2021, the real-world effectiveness and safety of the vaccines have been confirmed by governments and health systems around the world. Moderna itself has conducted vaccine effectiveness studies every year, in more than 5 million people to-date. These studies consistently show that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine confers a high degree of protection against hospitalizations among the most vulnerable. We have also actively monitored the safety of the more than one billion doses administered to-date, and have always transparently shared those results with regulators and with the public, including through peer-reviewed publications and presentations. We will continue to do so as part of our commitment to transparency.”
Novavax’s post shares a similar sentiment by both applauding the call for transparency and pointing out the data the President appears to be asking for is already publicly available.2
“We applaud President Trump’s call for available data, and consistent with that, we have shared clinical and preclinical data, and real-world evidence for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine via publication, at medical meetings, on our website and/or via press release. Additionally, we have made these data available to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dozens of regulatory bodies around the world and scientific and medical experts in public health.”
The post continues to share a link to previously published research along with a pledge to add more research as it becomes available.
Both statements from Moderna and Novavax are similar to a statement issued by Pfizer earlier this week.3 In a post appearing on that company’s website, Pfizer said, “The success of Operation Warp Speed (OWS) and U.S. development of mRNA vaccines is a profound public health achievement,” Pfizer continues. “Under President Trump's leadership, American innovation led the world, helping prevent economic collapse and saving more than 14 million lives globally. Operation Warp Speed restored consumer confidence, saved over $1 trillion in health care costs due to reductions in serious illness and avoidance of hospitalizations, and rapidly scaled up domestic production. This American leadership also delivered a new platform that may drive significant innovation in cancer research. Such an accomplishment would typically be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, given its significant impact.”
It's unclear what exactly the President’s goal is. The White House has yet to confirm any specifics about the data being requested, although a spokesperson for the administration told CNN,4 “The only driving principle of health decision-making in this Administration is Gold Standard Science. HHS, the FDA, and the CDC will continue to take an evidence-based approach to evaluate pharmaceutical treatments and Make America Healthy Again.”
Sources
- Moderna Recognizes the Success of Operation Warp Speed and Affirms Its Ongoing Commitment to Transparency. Moderna. September 3, 2025. https://investors.modernatx.com/moderna-recognizes-the-success-of-operation-warp-speed-and-its-ongoing-commitment-to-transparency
- Novavax Statement on Publicly Available COVID-19 Vaccine Data. Novavax. September 3, 2025. https://ir.novavax.com/press-releases/Novavax-Statement-on-Publicly-Available-COVID-19-Vaccine-Data
- Pfizer Responds to Success of Operation Warp Speed and Reaffirms Transparency of COVID Vaccine Data. Pfizer. September 3, 2025. https://www.pfizer.com/news/announcements/pfizer-responds-success-operation-warp-speed-and-reaffirms-transparency-covid
- Trump raises fresh questions about Covid-19 vaccines that he says have ‘ripped apart’ CDC. CNN. September 1, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/01/politics/covid-vaccines-trump-cdc
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