Pharma CEO says U.S. manufacturing capacity is 'limited' in event of coronavirus vaccine, treatment

Jake Tapper and Leonard Schleifer.
(Image credit: Screenshot/CNN)

Dr. Leonard Schleifer, the CEO of pharmaceutical company Regeneron, is optimistic that there will eventually be a breakthrough when it comes to combating the disease, whether that comes in the form of a drug or a vaccine. But there will still be obstacles, he told CNN's Jack Tapper on Sunday's State of the Union.

Regeneron is developing a coronavirus treatment. If and when a vaccine or treatment hits the market, there's still the question of how people will be able to access it, considering demand will be high, but Schleifer isn't too concerned about distribution — he thinks whatever is available will be at pharmacies and doctors' offices. Instead, he's more worried about the United States' manufacturing capacity, which he described as "limited."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.