White House threatens FDA chief’s job over vaccine approval

Donald Trump with FDA chief Stephen Hahn and Vice-President Mike Pence at a coronavirus briefing in April. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has pressed Dr Hahn to grant an emergency use authorisation for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine (Alex Brandon/AP)

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday pressed Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn to grant an emergency use authorisation for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day or face possible firing, according to two administration officials.

The vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech won a critical endorsement on Thursday from an FDA panel of outside advisers, and sign-off from the agency — which was expected this weekend — is the next step needed to deliver the shots to the public.