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Topline
Executives at Pfizer and Moderna, the two drug companies whose coronavirus vaccines could be approved in a few days, declined invitations to attend a “vaccine summit” at the White House on Tuesday, health news site Stat reported Monday. .
Doctor wearing protective gloves and work clothes filling an injection syringe with COVID-19 vaccine.
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Key facts
Neither Pfizer nor Moderna will participate in the event, company spokespersons confirmed to Forbes (Pfizer didn’t give a reason, and Moderna said she was invited to a meeting at the White House, but learned that “her participation would not be necessary” according to the agenda.)
The event is expected to attract companies such as CVS, Walgreens and FedEx, which will distribute and administer the vaccines, Stat reported, citing unidentified sources.
Some administration officials believe the summit could become a forum for President Donald Trump to take credit for the Covid-19 vaccines or pressure the Food and Drug Administration to speed up its approval process, Stat and Daily Beast.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Tangent
Trump has triumphed over the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine candidates and is eager to take credit for them, prompting occasional clashes with executives. When a Pfizer executive said the company did not participate in the federal Operation Warp Speed vaccine acceleration program, Trump publicly lashed out at the company (Pfizer signed an agreement to sell federal government vaccines through Warp Speed but did not received no funding from taxpayers). The president also unsubstantiated that Pfizer deliberately stopped releasing data on the effectiveness of its vaccine until after Election Day, in a plot to deprive Trump of any political advantage.
Key Background
Last month Moderna and Pfizer released data indicating that their vaccine candidates are extremely effective. Both companies are seeking emergency use authorizations from the FDA, and approval could come as early as this week for Pfizer and Dec. 17 for Moderna, though the Trump administration is reportedly urging the FDA to act faster. . After receiving approval, the two vaccines are expected to be mass distributed and federal officials hope to vaccinate millions of Americans by the end of the month.
Other readings
Major Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Pfizer and Moderna Decline Invitations to White House ‘Vaccine Summit’ (Stat)
