Lawmakers in hard-hit Florida want public hearing in Sanofi Zika vaccine scuffle

Fierce Pharma ------- Having seen Zika’s devastating effects reach Florida residents, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the state is urging the Army to pump the brakes on its exclusive vaccine license to Sanofi. In letters to acting Army Secretary Robert Speer, nine members of the House of Representatives from the state and Sen. Bill Nelson have castigated the proposed vaccine license, questioning why the partners can’t include a fair pricing assurance. The House members are requesting that the license be delayed until officials can hold a public hearing on the plan. For his part, Sen. Nelson noted that more than 1,400 cases of Zika have been documented in Florida. He wrote (PDF) that a “failure to limit the vaccine’s market price could make it inaccessible to thousands of Floridians who need it.” Nonprofit Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) posted the letters on its website Wednesday. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.