Pfizer and Moderna reportedly reject invitations to Trump's vaccine 'PR stunt'
It seems the executives leading COVID-19 vaccine development know better than to attend a big gathering right about now.
On Tuesday, the White House will be hosting a "vaccine summit" apparently meant to bring vaccine developers, scientists, and government leaders together ahead of distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. But drug industry leaders have decided the event is more of a "public relations stunt," and some big names aren't even planning to attend, Stat News reports.
Pfizer and Moderna are currently at the top of the COVID-19 vaccine world, having produced vaccine candidates that are more than 90 percent effective at stopping transmission of the disease. But despite the fact that both of the companies' CEOs had been invited to the vaccine summit, neither plans to attend, two sources tell Stat. The summit comes just days before the Food and Drug Administration is set to examine Pfizer's vaccine data, and a week before it will look at Moderna's. Both reviews will likely result in emergency use authorizations for the two vaccines.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Many other companies involved in the vaccine distribution process — FedEx, UPS, Walgreens, and CVS among them — are expected to send representatives to the event. But they "are likely to send lower-ranking executives as opposed to their CEOs," sources familiar with the event's planning tell Stat. And despite an apparent conflict of interest, Peter Marks, the FDA official who heads vaccine approvals, may end up attending the summit, Stat reports.
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
