White House threatens FDA chief’s job over COVID vaccine approval

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday pressed Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn to grant an emergency use authorisation for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day or face possible firing, two administration officials said.

The vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech won a critical endorsement Thursday from an FDA panel of outside advisers, and signoff from the agency — which was expected this weekend — is the next step needed to get the shots to the public.

The FDA is not required to follow the guidance of its advisory committees, but the devastation caused by the virus makes the vaccine’s authorisation almost certain.

Meadows spoke to Hahn by telephone Friday, according to a senior administration official who was familiar with the call but was not authorised to discuss private conversations.

The chief of staff also told Hahn his job was in jeopardy if the emergency use authorisation was not issued before Saturday, said a second administration official familiar with the conversation.

Hahn signalled that he would tell regulators to allow the vaccine to be issued on an emergency basis, the official said.

President Donald Trump has been pressing for quick approval for the vaccine and tweeted directly at Hahn earlier Friday, complaining that FDA “is still a big, old, slow turtle.” Trump has publicly bashed the pace of the FDA’s vaccine review process.

“Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr Hahn,” Trump tweeted Friday. “Stop playing games and start saving lives.”

Hahn disputed characterisations of his conversation with Meadows.

“This is an untrue representation of the phone call with the Chief of Staff,” Hahn said in a statement.

“The FDA was encouraged to continue working expeditiously on Pfizer-BioNTech’s EUA request. FDA is committed to issuing this authorisation quickly, as we noted in our statement this morning.”

The FDA said earlier Friday that it “will rapidly work” to grant emergency use of the vaccine.

Trump’s frustration with the FDA has been mounting, particularly as other countries have beaten the US in issuing emergency approvals for the vaccine.

Meadows issued the ultimatum to Hahn at Trump’s direction, a senior administration official said.

The FDA decision — when it comes — will kickstart an unprecedented vaccination campaign needed to eventually defeat the virus, now blamed for nearly 300,000 deaths in the US.

And the agency’s greenlight of the vaccine was virtually assured after the positive vote by agency advisers Thursday.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.