Pfizer won’t seek coronavirus vaccine authorization until after election

Pfizer will not seek an emergency authorization for its coronavirus vaccine until after the election, the final blow to President Donald Trump’s repeated pledges to make a shot available before Americans cast votes amid the worst pandemic in a century.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Friday that the company may know whether its vaccine is effective by the end of October, but won’t have the safety data the FDA wants at least until the end of November. Amid rising concerns about political pressure on the agency, the FDA released guidance on emergency authorizations that requires vaccine developers to provide two months of safety data on half of the trial participants following the final dose of the vaccine.

“Let me be clear, assuming positive data, Pfizer will apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the U.S. soon after the safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November,” Bourla wrote in an open letter.