FDA commissioner denies political pressure led to quick FDA authorization of Pfizer vaccine
From CNN's Maggie Fox
US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn denied on Saturday that political pressure led to a quicker than normal decision to issue emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
The FDA issued the EUA Friday evening, a day after its Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted to recommend the authorization. But as the FDA considered the vote, Hahn was summoned to the White House.
“First of all, the representations in the press that I was threatened to be fired if we didn’t get it done by a certain date is inaccurate,” Hahn said at a news conference held jointly Saturday with Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the FDA’s vaccine and biologicals branch.