FDA chief denies White House threatened to fire him

WASHINGTON — U.S. Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn on Friday denied widespread media reports that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows threatened to fire him if the agency didn’t swiftly approve Pfizer’s new coronavirus vaccine.

The agency nevertheless approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use on Friday evening.

Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump attacked the FDA on Twitter, calling it “a big, old slow turtle,” and adding “get the dam (sic) vaccines out NOW, Dr. Hahn. 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

In a statement sent to the Review-Journal, Hahn said reports in The Washington Post, CNBC, Vanity Fair and ABC News that Meadows had threatened to fire him are not true.

“This is an untrue representation of the phone call with the Chief of Staff,” the statement reads. “The FDA was encouraged to continue working expeditiously on Pfizer-BioNTech’s (emergency use authorization) request. FDA is committed to issuing this authorization quickly, as we noted in our statement this morning.”

Trump clearly has been displeased that the United Kingdom approved the vaccine on Dec. 1, ahead of the United States. On Tuesday, a 90-year-old retired shop clerk became the first British citizen to be inoculated for COVID-19.

On the following day, Britain’s National Health Service warned against the administration of the Pfizer vaccine to individuals with “significant” allergic reactions after two health care workers reported adverse allergic reactions to their shots.

On Thursday, a panel of outside advisers to the FDA recommended emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for individuals 16 or older by a 17-4 vote. That was followed by the agency’s formal approval on Friday.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Fox Business Network that shots could be administered as soon as Monday.

After Trump’s tweets Friday, the FDA released a statement that reads: “Following yesterday’s positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization. The agency has also notified the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed, so they can execute their plans for timely vaccine distribution.”

Trump frequently has railed against the FDA’s pace, which thwarted his hope to inoculate Americans ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

“New FDA Rules make it more difficult for them to speed up vaccines for approval before Election Day. Just another political hit job! @SteveFDA,” Trump tweeted in October, using Hahn’s Twitter handle.

But it was Trump’s push for speed that threatened to undermine the public’s willingness to use a vaccine that was produced in record time in defiance of expectations.

In July, a Gallup poll found that 66 percent of Americans would agree to be vaccinated, but by September, that number had slumped to 50 percent.

But as it became clear there would be no vaccine before Nov. 3, 58 percent of Americans said they were willing to be vaccinated.The latest Gallup poll released on Dec. 8 showed that the figure had reached 63 percent.

Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.