GSK accuses Pfizer of delaying Covid vaccine result until after US election

Donald Trump’s justice department is investigating claims that Pfizer delayed positive news about its Covid-19 vaccine until after the 2020 election.

Federal prosecutors are reportedly examining allegations from GSK, Pfizer’s British rival, that the US company kept details about the success of its vaccine secret.

Pfizer announced the results of its clinical trials on Nov 9 2020, six days after the presidential election and two days after Joe Biden was declared the winner, paving the way for millions of people to receive protection against Covid.

Mr Trump has accused Pfizer and its German partner BioNtech of helping Mr Biden win the election, saying “they didn’t have the courage to do it before” the vote.

The US attorney’s office in New York is reportedly examining the claims after being alerted by GSK. The company told prosecutors that a former employee, hired from Pfizer, had disclosed to GSK executives that Pfizer delayed the vaccine announcement. The investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Philip Dormitzer, Pfizer’s chief scientist for viral and RNA vaccines, had a key role developing the vaccine, which was the first to be authorised in the West.

He moved to GSK in 2021 as head of vaccines R&D, a prominent hire after the company’s struggles to develop its own Covid-19 jab.

GSK reportedly told prosecutors that Mr Dormitzer claimed Pfizer knew of the Covid vaccine’s effectiveness before the 2020 election, but held the news back, potentially helping Mr Biden. The Manhattan office has interviewed two people, including a GSK executive, the WSJ reported.

Mr Dormitzer, who left GSK in December, denied that he had made the comments.

“My Pfizer colleagues and I did everything we could to get the FDA’s [Federal Drug Administration’s] emergency use authorisation at the very first possible moment,” he said.

“Any other interpretation of my comments about the pace of the vaccine’s development would be incorrect.”

Pfizer said it had not been contacted about the investigation and called the claims “utter nonsense”.

“We cannot comment because we have not received any inquiry from authorities about a so-called ‘delay,’ but Pfizer remains ready, willing, and able to explain why any allegation of impropriety is utter nonsense,” a spokesman said.

“The Covid-19 vaccine development process was driven by science and guided by the US FDA back in 2020. We have consistently and transparently reiterated the facts and the timeline of the tireless work of scientists, regulators, and thousands of clinical trial volunteers who made the vaccine possible. Theories to the contrary are simply untrue and being manufactured.”

BioNtech has previously denied Mr Trump’s claims. GSK declined to comment.

Mr Trump launched an project to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, in early 2020. The development of Pfizer’s vaccine was not funded through the scheme, although the company secured a $2bn (£1.6bn) deal from the Trump administration before the 2020 election to deliver 100m doses of the vaccine if it proved effective.

GSK and Pfizer are major rivals in pharmaceuticals including vaccines. The companies merged their consumer healthcare divisions in 2019 before it was spun off in 2022 as a new company called Haleon.

Mr Dormitzer was hired by GSK after the British company failed to develop its own Covid vaccine as quickly as Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. The company worked with France’s Sanofi on its own vaccine but was dealt setbacks in early trials and the jab was not approved until 2022.

GSK suspended its diversity initiatives in February, shortly after Mr Trump returned to office, saying it had to do so because the US government was its biggest customer.