I have grown tired of being told to “follow the money” by the you-know-whos when it comes to “Big Pharma” and the Covid-19 vaccines. Sure, I accept that the system is far from perfect, and sure, Pfizer et al. have made a shedload of money from selling the vaccines, but then they have invested a shedload of money in research, development and production of the vaccines. Contrary to layperson belief, these products didn’t just appear overnight.
To the anti-vax crew, “Big Pharma” conveniently consists of the companies that are making Covid-19 vaccines: Pfizer, AstraZenica, Moderna etc. And yes, they are doing very nicely, thank you very much with market caps of $279.94B, $133.9B and $100B, respectively.
Clearly, Big Pharma = Big Money.
You could take the view then that “Big Pharma” is evil and merely all about the wonga – and the alt-right whatsapp groups have done just that – but then we mustn’t just consider these vaccine-producing companies as “Big Pharma”, we must surely look right across the market and well… “follow the money”.
Let’s take Merck. Merck employs 74,000 people, managed almost $50b in revenue last year and is apparently worth $194.64B
Note that Merck is much “Bigger Pharma” than AZ or Moderna. Clearly, they must also be just as evil or even eviller.
And look! Merck does have a foot in the Covid-19 door as well: they hold the licence to Stromencol – that’s their trade name for “miracle wonder drug” Ivermectin.
Just another arm of “Big Pharma” making money from a crisis. THEY’RE ALL THE SAME, GARY!
But Merck has also stated very clearly that Ivermectin doesn’t work against Covid-19 and is unsafe to use for that purpose:
But Merck are (as demonstrated above) very much “Big” and “Pharma”, so why are they not profiteering from people’s pandemic misery? Merck is like the Eskom of pharmaceutical companies: actively telling people not to use its product.
It’s an odd way to do business.
Presumably then, this is where the “this pandemic is just a money-making scam for Big Pharma” argument stops.
Or at least is conveniently overlooked. Cognitive bias at its finest.
Pfizer says that their vaccine works against Covid-19 and is safe, and the moonbat brigade refuse to listen to a word of it.
Merck says their Ivermectin doesn’t work against Covid-19 and isn’t safe, and the loons still run to swallow horse wormer in their thousands.
It’s almost as if Ivermectin doesn’t work against Covid-19 and isn’t safe. But then, I guess this is just a clever example of “Big Pharma” reverse psychology. Which the anti-vaxxers have seen right through. Well done, guys.
What a weird situation. But then, they are, aren’t they?
