The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed former Pfizer executive Dr. Philip Dormitzer over explosive allegations that the pharmaceutical giant deliberately delayed clinical testing of its COVID-19 vaccine to avoid announcing results before the 2020 presidential election.
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) ordered Dormitzer, the former vice president and chief scientific officer of RNA and viral vaccines for Pfizer, to appear for a deposition on July 22. The subpoena follows the committee's demands for answers about allegations "that senior Pfizer executives conspired to withhold public health information so as to influence the 2020 presidential election."
Key Allegations Surface Through GSK
The controversy emerged when British drugmaker GSK contacted federal prosecutors in Manhattan with claims made by Dormitzer after he joined the company. According to the committee's letter, GSK reported that in November 2024, Dormitzer requested relocation to Canada due to concerns about potential investigation by the incoming Trump Administration over his role in developing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
When asked about his relocation request, Dormitzer allegedly told a GSK human resources representative: "Let's just say it wasn't a coincidence, the timing of the vaccine."
More significantly, GSK reported that Dormitzer disclosed to colleagues that "in late 2020, the three most senior people in Pfizer R&D were involved in a decision to deliberately slow down clinical testing so that it would not be complete prior to the results of the presidential election that year."
Timeline and Context
Pfizer announced its COVID-19 vaccine results on November 9, 2020, just five days after polls closed for the presidential election. The results, which showed the vaccine's effectiveness and safety, were first reviewed by independent experts before public disclosure. Media outlets had called the race for Joe Biden on November 7.
GSK clarified in its communication that Dormitzer was not admitting to intentionally "delaying disclosure of completed results," but rather described "a situation of slowing down results before disclosure became necessary."
Dormitzer's Response and Background
Dormitzer has disputed the allegations, telling The Wall Street Journal that he and his Pfizer colleagues "did everything we could to get the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization at the very first possible moment." He stated that "any other interpretation of my comments about the pace of the vaccine's development would be incorrect."
Federal Election Commission filings show that Dormitzer has only donated to Democratic campaigns, contributing hundreds of dollars in the 2010s to congressional candidates while working in vaccine development at Novartis.
Committee's Compulsory Action
The subpoena represents an escalation in the committee's investigation after Dormitzer failed to voluntarily comply with requests for testimony and documents. In a May 29 letter, Dormitzer's attorney Susan Brune indicated that her client did not have relevant records and promised that "Pfizer's representatives are or will be in communication... to provide whatever details you might request."
Jordan wrote in the subpoena: "To date, you have failed to voluntarily comply with our requests. Therefore, the Committee must resort to compulsory process to obtain your testimony and the requested documents."
The committee has also requested emails, texts, meeting notes and other documents from Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla showing any clinical trial data or communications with federal public health agencies.
Company's Defense
Pfizer has consistently defended its vaccine development timeline, with CEO Albert Bourla previously stating that the timing had nothing to do with politics. A company representative said: "The COVID-19 vaccine development process was driven by science and guided by the U.S. 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."
The allegations first surfaced during a federal investigation into Pfizer by Manhattan prosecutors, adding another layer of scrutiny to the pharmaceutical giant's handling of its groundbreaking COVID-19 vaccine development.
