In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, the timing of Pfizer's announcement regarding the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine raised eyebrows.
The news broke a mere two days after Democrat Joe Biden was declared the victor, prompting then-President Donald Trump to voice his suspicions. "Pfizer and others even decided to not assess the results of their vaccine, in other words, not come out with the vaccine until just after the election," Trump stated, hinting at a possible retaliation for his attempts to regulate medication costs for the elderly.
According to the Western Journal, Trump's suspicions were rooted in his actions towards the pharmaceutical industry. He had signed an executive order in September 2020, which pegged the price of prescription drugs paid by Americans through Medicare to the cost of the same drugs in international markets. Trump believed that this move may have led to the delayed release of the vaccine data, which was originally scheduled for October.
Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, had previously confirmed to NBC's "Today" that the company would have information on the vaccine's effectiveness by the end of October. Trump argued that the release of positive vaccine news prior to the election could have influenced the outcome. His administration had been instrumental in accelerating the vaccine development process through Operation Warp Speed, which provided resources to pharmaceutical companies.
The timing of Pfizer's announcement is now under scrutiny by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan. The investigation was triggered by statements allegedly made by Phil Dormitzer, a former Pfizer scientist who spearheaded the company's COVID-19 vaccine development efforts. Dormitzer, who left Pfizer in 2021 to join rival GSK, reportedly told GSK executives in late 2024 that Pfizer had intentionally delayed the announcement of its successful vaccine trials until after the 2020 presidential election.
Dormitzer, however, disputes this account. "My Pfizer colleagues and I did everything we could to get the FDAs Emergency Use Authorization at the very first possible moment. Any other interpretation of my comments about the pace of the vaccines development would be incorrect," he stated. Pfizer also defended the timing of its announcement, attributing it to scientific considerations and FDA guidance.
The Department of Justice is now tasked with examining all claims related to the timing of Pfizer's announcement. The question remains: did Pfizer's decision to delay its announcement influence the 2020 election? The answer is yet to be revealed, but this situation adds to a growing list of instances where Trump's suspicions have been validated.
In other news, the U.S. Naval Academy has decided to eliminate race, ethnicity, or sex as factors in its admission process, in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, which is coordinating efforts against the ruling military, has declared a unilateral partial ceasefire to facilitate earthquake relief efforts.
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