The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed Dr. Philip Dormitzer, a former Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) executive, in connection with an investigation into claims that the company intentionally delayed the release of clinical testing results for its COVID-19 vaccine until after the 2020 presidential election.
The move signals an escalation in the panel's probe into whether political considerations influenced Pfizer's vaccine announcement timeline.
Dormitzer, who later joined British drugmaker GSK Plc (NYSE:GSK), is considered a key witness in the inquiry.
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Benzinga reached out to Pfizer for comment.
According to the committee, he has not voluntarily complied with previous requests to appear or provide documents.
The subpoena, first reported by CNN, reflects lawmakers’ belief that Dormitzer’s testimony is central to understanding internal decision-making at Pfizer during the development of the vaccine.
The committee points to allegations that Dormitzer, after joining GSK, told colleagues that Pfizer had deliberately delayed disclosing the vaccine’s effectiveness until after Election Day.
The CNN report added that the Wall Street Journal previously reported that GSK had flagged those statements to federal prosecutors in New York.
According to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, GSK provided information from a human resources meeting in November 2024 in which Dormitzer allegedly expressed concern about being investigated by a future Trump administration, suggesting the vaccine announcement timing was "not a coincidence."
Further, Jordan's letter cites claims that Dormitzer informed colleagues that Pfizer’s top R&D leadership intentionally slowed clinical testing so that it would not conclude before the election results were known. The Judiciary Committee has received some records from GSK but has not made them public.
Pfizer announced the COVID-19 vaccine's effectiveness on Nov. 9, 2020, six days after Election Day.
CEO Albert Bourla has previously denied political motives, telling CNN that the timing was based solely on data readiness and regulatory review, not election considerations.
While the committee has not issued a subpoena to Pfizer, it seeks information directly from the company as the investigation progresses.
Price Action: PFE stock is currently 0.80% higher at $25.24, as of the last check on Wednesday.
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