WASHINGTON (AP) – White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Friday pressured Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn to allow emergency use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day or face possible firing, officials said. .
Pfizer Inc. And the vaccine, produced by its German partner Bioentech, received a decisive endorsement on Thursday from an FDA panel of outside consultants, and Synoff from the agency – which is the necessary step to get people shot.
The FDA is not required to follow the guidance of its advisory committees, but often does.
On Friday, Meadows spoke to Hahn by telephone, according to a senior administration official who was familiar with the conversation but was not authorized to discuss it in private.
Another administrative official familiar with the conversation said the chief of staff told Hahn that his job was in danger if emergency use was not allowed before Saturday.
Hahn indicated he would ask regulators to allow the vaccine to be given on an emergency basis, the official said.
President Donald Trump has pushed for quick approval for the vaccine and complained directly to Hehan earlier Friday that the FDA is “still a big, old, slow tortoise.” Trump has publicly tied the pace of the FDA’s vaccine review process.
Trump tweeted on Friday, “Get Dam’s vaccines out right now, Dr. H. Han.” “Stop playing sports and start saving lives.”
Controversial features of his conversation with Han Meadows.
“This is a false representation of a phone call with the Chief of Staff.” The FDA was encouraged to act expeditiously on Pfizer-Bioentech’s EU request. Is committed. “
The FDA said early Friday that it would “work quickly” to allow emergency use of the vaccine.
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