Drugmaker Pact

The story headline: Leading US drugmakers will sign a pact to produce a safe coronavirus vaccine amid concerns about shots being rushed to market before the presidential election

Quote
scientists and public-health experts worry about the push to bring a vaccine to market before data clearly shows it's safe and effective.

To assuage these concerns, Moderna and Pfizer — along with US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and French pharmaceutical company Sanofi — are preparing to release a joint statement that promises to put safety before speed.

The statement could be released as early as next week, according to the Wall Street Journal, which obtained an early copy. In the draft, the companies pledge to only seek emergency FDA approval for their vaccine candidates after final human trials show "substantial evidence of safety and efficacy."

A sentence from the draft reads: "We believe this pledge will help ensure public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines that may ultimately be approved and adherence to the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which they are evaluated."

So I think Trump's October Surprise will be just like his claims: "We have plenty of tests, and anybody who wants one, gets one". He will CLAIM a vaccine is ready, but Phase III trial subjects are the only people getting it. Most experts in vaccine trials think the beginning of 2021 is more realistic. With all the anti-vaxxer fury, they don't want a vaccine safety failure. It would be devastating for their business.