Update
The FDA has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
BREAKING: It happened! FDA authorizes Pfizer's vaccine, per two sources familiar, clearing the way for millions to get it soon. by @katie_thomas @SharonLNYT @noahweiland https://t.co/fuWdE7myk8
— Virginia Hughes (@virginiahughes) December 12, 2020
Original post
The Washington Post, Axios and the New York Times are all reporting that FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn’s job is on the line if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is not approved by the end of the day, but the severity of the threat made by the White House is different in each confirmation of the story.
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In the Washington Post version, it’s something out of “The Godfather” where Meadows told Hahn “to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine by day’s end”:
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Friday told Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the FDA to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine by day’s end per @washingtonpost https://t.co/EzgkYddO3N
— Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) December 11, 2020
But in the version reported by Axios, Meadows “hinted” to Hahn that his “job security might be in jeopardy” if the approval didn’t come through:
Confirming WaPo — Mark Meadows hinted to Food and Drug Administration commissioner Stephen Hahn on a phone call Friday that his job security might be in jeopardy as he pushed the FDA chief to approve Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day. https://t.co/4sjqzLvDM3
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 11, 2020
And in the New York Times version, it’s been downgraded to “start updating his resume”:
And also confirming – Meadows said Hahn may as well start updating his resume if he doesn’t get it done today https://t.co/iyX4oJsemm
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 11, 2020
So, which is it?
Anyway, Drs. Stephen Hahn and Peter Marks of the FDA announced this morning that they’ve told Pfizer the agency will “rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization.”
FDA Commissioner @SteveFDA and @FDACBER Director Dr. Peter Marks issue a statement on yesterday’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting. https://t.co/8uKTTDTYcx pic.twitter.com/2aufBaMTez
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) December 11, 2020
Shortly after that tweet above was posted, however, President Trump lashed out at Hahn, telling him to “Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!”:
While my pushing the money drenched but heavily bureaucratic @US_FDA saved five years in the approval of NUMEROUS great new vaccines, it is still a big, old, slow turtle. Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr. Hahn @SteveFDA. Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2020
The Washington Post is reporting that the FDA could move up its scheduled announcement to later this afternoon:
The warning led the FDA to accelerate its timetable for clearing America’s first vaccine from Saturday morning to later Friday.
But it’s not clear if this would have any effect on the distribution timetable:
It is unclear whether a decision on the vaccine on a Friday night would do anything to speed up the delivery of the first vaccine doses.
And now, we wait.
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Editor’s note: We’ve corrected an editing error in the post.
