>> over the past 21 years its partnership with the library of congress, book tv has provided in-depth uninterrupted coverage of the national book festival featuring hundreds of topics and gaps. and on saturday, book tv returns live and in person to the library of congress national book festival. all day long you will hear from and interact with guests and authors such as librarian of congress carla hated journalist david, writer smith and more. the library of congress national book festival live at saturday the 9:30 a.m. eastern on cspan2. >> it is my pleasure to introduce today doctor albert the chairman and ceo of pfizer. nowadaysye a household name aftr the last couple of years. it's worked at pfizer for more than 25 years, has become a company ceo in january of 2019,

right before the pandemic. his timing was pretty incredible there. his new book is called moonshot insideal pfizer's nine month rae to make the impossible, possible. it really t takes us behind the scenes during the pandemic. the historic development, the testing and manufacturing of the company's covid vaccine. recently named the ceo of the air by cnn business. 2022 genesis prize laureate. we will be discussing a lot in the next hour. it's not going to be a conversation can the doctor and i purred like everyone on thisue call, and zoom, and youtube too. let us know questions you have and i will try to ask and get to as many of them. so please come up on the chat function and be engaged with this conversation, we would appreciate that. first of all, welcome. nice to have you here at the commonwealth club. i got to ask, i read the book it is fantastic. it's beyond a business book. it really took me behind the scenes of what happened with pfizer and howou this all came

about. also a real nice glimpse into your personal life and professional life. w my first question, how dhec did you find time to write a book to read what you've been doing lately? >> it is a good point. you know, i had a lot of motivation. i wanted to do it. people are pushing me too make a timeline. the change i was not the one to push i was going to be pushed. i also felt the chapters were running very quickly. i would go three or four days and write one chapter doing nothing else. and theng of course with everything else until i find it of the two or three days. >> white write it? what was your motivation here question records your goal? what was your point? are you happy with the finished product? >> the events that happened during those nine months change

the course of history. i know history is written by many different points of view. i wanted to make sure i set the record the way i felt was happening. that was a very big part of my o motivation. the other one was because of mee being the face for the company all of the slides were on me. thousands of people worked on this project. but maybe 30 or 40 really lead this project. and all of them, i was afraid their names would be lost. and it wanted to make sure to leave a record of what michael david and katherine and everyone in this book i describe exactly what they did. >> it is phenomenal. you are right it's a part of oui history we are still living through. at personal question at what

point will be digest, will you digestee exactly what you have done and what we have all been through global these last two years? >> it's a good question i'm still trying to. clearly i think it was something not only saved a lot of lives, not only was able to generate significant economic value. the vaccination is intended contributed to gdp it was huge. and lost lives were avoided. it g that human ingenuity can make a difference. it was what brought together again after maybe a year or two

grandparents were grandchildren. this is i think the biggest impact that we had. into the world, and i'm very proud of it. i know that your ceo of a high profile company, but is it uncomfortable for you? has it it uncomfortable for you, has it been because you suffered some orcriticism here, is it uncomfortable to be a public figure so to speak it's not necessarily what you signed up for? >> know it was and it is to the degree being out there and speaking because clearly it also has in addition to the glory it brings, the majority think of me and the kindre of heroes but thy

see them as the enemy and they don't believe the vaccine was the way to go and that has created a lot on me and my family. >> threats to your safety as well. >> yes. everything that you can imagine for the misinformation according to several of the websites. i laugh because the previous was the pope according to the same website. my wife died of complications

[inaudible] it's a lot of hardships that comes with it. >> it was pretty candid revealing writing about many of these. you write that you challenged your team to make the impossible possible. it sounds good for a book and pr team but there must have been some dark times people even in your own building the challenge and that didn't believe in what was happening. >> there were different dimensions.. the most difficult i was able to accomplish pretty soon i convinced everyone. wewe know it if we fail. >> how do you communicate that because that roles this over a zoom call how do you communicate because i know you are a leader f that wants to touch and feel d

see body language. >> most of the people we were working with so that helped a lot. they were introduced to me and we were working together on that. that's another obstacle. we can see the actions of the others on their face and body language. what is your guidance and what would be your advice on how to motivate a team? >> everyone needs to find a way to be able. people that have a unique

capabilityer to understand when you don't mean what you say so justt tell them everything. the second they have a tendency to underestimate what they can and usually they think they cannot do it. they don't know that and you would be surprised if you ask them to do things that look impossible. >> did you havee a moment of whn omthis all was actually going to twork. to discuss the job but this is

the final say. they've been completed to see if it works or not. it would be if it works or not, so it was only at that time that i felt we have it. all the way up until then it was a very complicated process. so there were moments of immense satisfaction but also we felt it was a disaster and that could kill the project. there were several times they felt we were at the end of that project. >> was it a phone calloo to your zoom call when they said this wasn't b happening? >> the information was flowing either by e-mail or phone call or resume calls. i had very frequent calls.

there were moments that were communicated by phone or mail resume but there were moments i think we cannot make it. we manufacture it and the studies arees running but i thik we can. >> and at that point when he got that information what was your next visit? >> let's go back and see what can be done and the nations will overcome or we found a sign the product is unmistakable. they are trying to find solutions, so there were so many things like that that we felt if they hold true but could describe the ups and downs.

failure is not an option so it wasn't i do whatever i can i fail. november 9th. >> november 8 for me and a very small group of people, but neverything was blinded and hidden in security passwords as always with development nobody knows and nobody can go and see. this is when we did that on the analysis and we see that call. >> you right in the book you

went to a small conference room in connecticut and came together as a team in person which was shocking. the head of our rmd is the first time i mentioned. i was with him on videos every day ten times a day but suddenly realized. we succeeded not because we were lucky but because we werere prepared. that's a bold statement for a company your size. >> it is bold and i believe it. we were preparing for a moment like that but didn't know this

would be the moment. we started the transformation a year and a half earlier by divesting other businesses and increasing the expenses. all of that was part of developing an infrastructure but we found it extremely handy when we had to use it to develop record time life-saving vaccines but i think the biggest thing that drove that two years or year and a half.

the value of equity and without that i don't think we would bein able to be successful so we had the right infrastructure and the right mindset.th >> with other things in the portfolio, big brands. almost 75% and we divested of those and then stayed up 25% revenues smaller company but everything or almost everything we had driven by high-end science. i know you said you had a

special relationship and your humor comes out in the book that you are the extroverted greek jew combined with an executive then. >> sometimes history played games and it was the perfect combination for us. we decided first to go with the mrna. i had asked our team to come with proposals on how to develop a successful vaccine. they said we should do it with mrna. it was the counter option because we were working only two years from that since 2018 and

there was no time in history for to develop anything so when they told me that i was surprised and found look but the conviction was very high. so for us it was if we were deciding mrna. at the same time i was asking what technology you think we should be using so because you were working together we knew they were a fantastic partner and the technologies surrounded to deliver the vaccine. >> correct me if i'm wrong you wentsh with the longshot, the moonshot in terms of -- >> by far it was the one that

could give the best possible product but the one that was by far the most risky. >> there's so much of this that is politically driven and regardless of what side of the aisle you are in or on, were yos surprised still to this day the politics are driving what is happening in the pandemic? >> yes, i was surprised. i knew that healthcare issues are always at the forefront of the political debate and that clearly creates uncertainty and anxiety is that will be magnified through the political debate. because of the magnitude of the threat of this pandemic was presenting for the world they

would doet the right thing and y we will leave things out because that was an existential threat talking about ulterior motives that went from 9 billion in 2022 almost 21 billion last year. your own salary 20 plus. t do you get offended at this or is this part of the job? >> it's part of the job.

it was driven down it is now among the best and i'm very cognizant that what we enjoy right now with the maximum majority. if we do the right things or if we don't do the right things. i'm really committed with maintaining that high level. >> we talk about the 7 billion all around the world. is there a way, and i know in terms of the vaccine equity you were charging it at cost to the nations.

is there a way to get it to those nations because i know it's not just the vaccine but it's the distribution infrastructure. that isn't what your business does but can you partner or lead the charge and say we need to get itst into these countries ad improve the infrastructure for thoseus vaccines? >> we must find ways to do that. right now the obstacle for the poorest part of the world to vaccinate it isn't vaccines availability and it isn't tulogistics but it is infrastructure as you said to administer. one thing it is to drive 50 minutes to cvs or walgreens to get a vaccine and the other thing it is to walk one day to go somewhere to get a vaccine so it is different conditions they

are living and also 20% of grade of the vaccine or skeptical about its value and 80% of the population they don't think that they need any vaccine. they missed the opportunity to educate people and the opportunity to develop some very basic infrastructure. they need one person that knows, very basic things. ocwe could if our efforts was there but unfortunately again instead of preparing those lacountries want the vaccines wouldsi be available.

we are getting a lot of questions here on the chat. let's get to one of them from the viewers. what is the one thing you help the readers will take away from your books? >> the readers will see that i have a quote from a greek philosopher it speaks to the spirit of what made this so possible. our problem is not that we aimd too high and miss. our problem is we aim too low and we hit but this is a wonderful way to communicate and at the same time communicate the

aproblem that adheres we are happy about it rather than setting the bar high. >> you have access to the best researchers obviously in your own company and with otherou companies.ex what is next, where do you forecast the next six to 12 months specifically? >> two things, the other as general health. there is a lot of work right nov to try to stay ahead of the virus as it is mutating constantly but also there is a very concerted effort to go through something even better, something the goal right now is tost be able to maintain at leat a year of protection so we don't have to go through this

situation every six months. people will get tired of this and the numbers of the people that willl comply. so this is what you're doing when it comes to covid. the second thing is three things. it means they are not vaccinated because they were unfortunate at least that there lives would be threatened or they would stay outside the workforce for two weeks where they would suffer the consequences that is a very big issue.

right now theyey are available d it will be easy for everyone together. but also to speak about others i do think that we are entering a period where major needs in the medical sphere find solutions and it is because of advances in technology and the two of them are coming together to produce grammatical affects. artificial intelligence in drug discovery with design and so those things will help us to

advance in a way more exponential way. science and pfizer and many others. >> are you on the verge of announcing something big? >> i'm afraid it's not going to be like a result of the cure of cancer, but it is going to be a decade with a lot of the diseases that will be very different at the end of the day. >> we talk about once a year shots.s there's about a third of americans that are nots vaccinated. how do we convince the last third of that is a sizable part of the country to get on board here? >> i think it will be difficult and most people are afraid.

the more we insist on them getting vaccinated, it can respond very emotional. i found that the best way to convince those people isn't by using rationale because the fears make you irrational. to use another emotion that is stronger than fear the way i talked to them itth is the development the decision to vaccinate or not will affect the lives of others and of people you love the most. grandpa, grandma, the father

within underlining heart condition they are the ones if you don't get vaccinated you have t a high rate of transferrg to them. it's the only thing that works right now. it's remained despite the pressure. >> you see a lot different in california and different on the east coast and florida. i know you met with leaders in the previous administration and the current administration. are they making progress that you think is good progress? >> i don't think they are making progress and living outside of the politics. clearly the number of people that would be unvaccinated is lower. it wasn't embedded in the political debate and because life confused a lot of people we

leave the situation with wearing thef mask is a political statement. if you are left or right or democrat it has nothing to do. it's about the healthcare measures. the same with vaccinations to some degree. if we do that things would be better. >> we are taking masks off across the country and they will require us not to wear them anymore and give the option. is there a possibility in your mind at the end of this year we could be putting masks back on, we digress? >> i hope not. i think that right now there's so much you can do with social distancing measures that are the fundamentals.

it is a very big part of the equation and also because right now we have way significant tools in our hands. it's not vaccinated as much as we wanted what we have even more. but you will not end up in the hospital or high level of probability. hospital would be a low level of probability so with all of that, i think we can start relaxing the measures.eo what i hope will not happen is that still people will go and maintain protections by getting their vaccine and then still when they have symptoms they will see if they can get a treatment. if we do these simple things i think that we can live life the way we a are use to. >> i asked this representing

parents with young kids which is me as well i have a 4-year-old. at what point will my daughter be able to get this vaccine are we close whether it is pfizer or another company? >> if that's true and my hopes are materialized. was there a setback because we thought we would be able to do it by march and then it got delayed. what happened? >> we were asked on the second.

dose. we need three doses to be successful. we know that this is the case. however it's affecting disproportionately younger kids. it was more severe and this one is less severe. kids got infected and ended up in hospitals, so it was a lot of pressure. so why don't we submit the data on the second dose. we better way to because transparency and data is important and it was coming in a few weeks time so now the facts

are coming in april and we will have a strong set of data that everybody can see transparently. we are getting a lot of great questions. one of the company's questions how did three companies that manufactured a covid vaccine agreed to work together? good question. >> they worked together and we saw the progress. we would then be able to do it alone. i think they should partner with the u.s. government and help them do the vaccine for the partnership. successful or not there wasas a lot of collaboration.

very few people know. we discussed and offer and start manufacturing for them so there was a lot of good cooperation. competition also helped because it is clear pfizer wanted to be first. it's a good thing because whoever was the first -- >> is this a business book i know it's about pfizer and taking us behind-the-scenes of how you made this a breakthrough but is this also a business book that could be transferred to different industries? >> i think so. i think that there are reading what happened, one can do lessons that may apply or not to

his or her own situation in their own business about this crisis were not. so it's always good to learn how other people resolved difficult problems. >> you talked about one thing, many things that stood out to me in the book. during the trump administration, about jared kushner asking to deliver perhaps change the delivery to prioritize the united states ahead of some other countries. can you describe that and what transpired? i >> jared kushner called me and got involved quite late in the game. it was after the elections maybe december or january. his intention was to increase the quantities the u.s. could sign with us $100 million. europeans could sign 200 doses.

then we were successful and they wanted more. in terms of there were a lot of unreasonable things. we told them luck it took us months to negotiate, with 100 million doses but there is. the first was for the concept. now it is approved.

but then he wanted all 100 million doses immediately and i thought we don't have. i cannot do that because we are only making in the u.s. and europe. i hear you, but i care for america so that was the basic living agreement. they were able to find more and eventually -- >> that's the previous administration. now with president biden and his administration what is theat greatest challenge and what do you hope would be better blacks. >> the challenges of the administration, it is the virus that changed.

after the dose we would go through the yearly read vaccinations and the whole world turns upside down. a lot of the decisions are not black-and-white in the gray zone and it's very clear which way would be the optimal way to go so they have to make choices like all of us when we deal with difficult situations. >> one of the questions do you feel the united states will approve and recommend the fourth shot like israel has done? >> i think we will submit and i think that we have a very compelling date. i think there is a need. i can't speak about if they would approve it or not. then based on what they see they will make their own decision. what they know is we will

provide. >> the premise usually takes eight to ten years to get something approved and manufactured we didn't try to improve the current processes of doing things. we had to reinvent them. if i was asking they would try to do it by the process. i asked them and still they would try so they had to reinvent everything so that is a

big part. youin have to redesign and reengineer everything and then the second you need to really do things in parallel. to realize every state is impossible but if someone doesn't let you in details you know, no, find a way to do it then you are forced into suddenly you find ways. >> any employees walk out orha escort anyone who didn't want to comply? >> everybody worked extremely

diligently. they all wanted the best. once the first month so many things were made possible and that created a very different mindset so every obstacle we were facing. >> have you been reinvigorated? >> yi think i am every year and becomeme a better businessperso. i'm at the same level like at thear beginning and so far i thk i'm learning. >> what do you want to do next whether it's in the company or outside the company.

a lot of things can keep me intellectually stimulated. >> kind of how things shaped your life and professional career. i know your mother had a near-death experience and also your kids. does the personal life shape a professional life? >> each one of us. not only the personal life, but i think the family is what builds the personality and character for each one of us. and for every one of us. to dictate the way that we think

about that. >> when we talkr about your appearance and your kids is that part of the culture that you also bring in? >> i think me coming from south europe clearly the family ties one is going through the life of the other, and myself i felt it was the best thing that happened to come back and live with me for nine months. >> it was a big reward. i'm close to my family and my friends. >> was mapping the human genome to the beginning of so many medical and drug breakthroughs here?

>> absolutely. i think the biggest breakthrough in the years is that one. >> one thing to be able to unlock the human genome but it's billions and billions. without the advances in technology so the two of them. >> how were you sourcing your talent, the up and coming researchers into scientists ande are they coming from is it in one geographic spot or how do you find your top people? >> start fromer the top and you see it'sse so diverse. so many immigrants to start with. there are more. we have four or five religions.

we have men and women. i think it's important that you have people from diverse backgrounds so the synthesis of their ideas are the same. but not particularly because we have been able to because we are considered by so many the heroes of the world. people from all over the place are raising their hands to join forces with us. we are very lucky to have a lot of talent. >> the instability in eastern europe and russia and ukraine. how did that impact pfizer? >> it doesn't impact pfizer directly to the degree that it's amaterial.

the smaller business i worry a lot but a few people we take good care of them clearly if this is an event because it was unthinkable two months before and suddenly we see in front of us a war unjustified but dramatic consequences for humanity. that's why it brings back to mind this is suddenly how things started in that period of time swing very concerned not about a pfizer but about what does this mean for peace and stability. >> as we wrap up, a couple more questions. can we talk about the challenges that need to change. in the healthcare industry. we can talk about that for an hour but one thing that stands out what are the challenges that need to change overall in

healthcare. >> for one thing it is clear in the sustainable u.s. and although they do havee one of te best and most important insurances in the world is if everybody has to pay for their medicines out of pocket. to find ways that made it way more affordable. >> we've talked about that for years but nothing has really changed. >> and i think not only nothing changed but things became worse. many times you were there but nothing happened.

>> and what is next for pfizer as a company, but is on the horizon? >> science and breakthroughs. >> to put it together with biology we are focusing on the areas that if there's anything of significant interest in the world, cancer, infectious diseases, diseases, all of that. there's so much opportunity aheadd of us to provide

besolutions. >> was it good luck or bad luck to all of a sudden being ceo january 2019 not knowing how it is going to change? >> thank you so much for your time. we appreciated it and the book is fabulous everybody should buy a copy of it because it's a good insight into what happened and what continues to happen. any comments for you?y >> thank you for your interest and thank you very much also for your audience for listening. >> inside pfizer's nine-month race to make the impossible possible. again we encourage all of you to pick up a copy l of the local bookstore. if you'd like to watch more programs was up for the commonwealth club effort to make in person and virtual programs possible, please visit commonwealth club.org/event.

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welcome. i'm going to call you debbie. i've known you for many decades. we've all known you in a public health field and it's a privilege for me to be here with you to talk about your brilliant new book. i want to start simply. explain the title silent invasion and the reasons you wrote the book, which you talk about at the beginning