"Because of the Presidential Election?"... Investigation Begins into Allegations of Hiding COVID-19 Vaccine Development

COVID-19 Vaccine Announcement Made Six Days After Presidential Election
"Pfizer Hid Vaccine Completion to Block Trump's Re-election"

The global pharmaceutical company Pfizer is under investigation by U.S. prosecutors over allegations that it deliberately delayed announcing the completion of its COVID-19 vaccine to hinder the re-election of President Donald Trump during the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

On the 26th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office received a tip regarding this matter and has interviewed related witnesses. The suspicion of Pfizer's delayed vaccine announcement first arose shortly after the last presidential election. The election day was November 3, 2020, and Pfizer announced the development of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine six days later, on November 9.

COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer

At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest issue in the election. Therefore, news of the vaccine development could have been a major advantage for the incumbent President Trump’s vote count. However, Pfizer announced this fact only after the election, which ultimately benefited candidate Joe Biden, who criticized President Trump's COVID-19 response, and led to his victory. President Trump claimed on social media that "Pfizer announced the vaccine development only after the election for 'political reasons.'"

The reason this issue moved beyond a simple conspiracy theory to an investigation by prosecutors is due to the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). GSK reported to the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office that its competitor Pfizer intentionally delayed announcing the COVID-19 vaccine development. It was said that Phil Dormitzer, the researcher who led Pfizer’s vaccine development, told colleagues after moving to GSK that the completion of the COVID-19 vaccine was postponed until after the election.

At the end of last year, prosecutors reportedly verified the truth of the tip with Dormitzer. He has since left GSK. He denied the allegations to prosecutors, stating that he did his best to obtain emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine and never made statements like those in the tip. After hearing testimony from other individuals, prosecutors plan to summon a third related person soon. Pfizer has not yet been subject to a prosecutor’s investigation.

Pfizer stated, "The development of the COVID-19 vaccine was made possible thanks to thousands of clinical trial volunteers and the efforts of regulatory agencies," and added, "We are prepared to explain that there is no basis for any improper claims."