When some chose to politicize the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer stood with other industry leaders and pledged to protect scientific integrity

Pfizer has a rich history in vaccine research and development. For more than 130 years, Pfizer has played a pivotal role in eliminating or nearly eliminating deadly infectious diseases like smallpox and polio. It has designed novel vaccines based on new delivery systems and technologies that have helped in preventing bacterial infections. And today, our COVID-19 vaccine developed with BioNTech SE is making history again – helping to hopefully bring an end to the worst pandemic in the past 100 years.

Pfizer’s success in pioneering vaccines is rooted in the recognition that good science demands rigor, a commitment to patient safety and a close partnership with regulators that are equally committed to scientific integrity. Together, these principles serve as a North Star that guide all efforts in the battle against disease.

In this spirit, Pfizer signed in early September a public pledge – along with a number of other vaccine researchers and developers – to protect the time-tested scientific processes and regulatory protocols that have helped guide the safe delivery of medicines and vaccines to address patients’ unmet needs. This show of solidarity complemented the five-point plan that Pfizer issued in mid-March calling for unprecedented industry collaboration in fighting COVID-19. 

The pledge reinforced Pfizer’s commitment to developing and testing potential vaccines for COVID-19 according to scientific principles, not politics. It served as a call to action for the biopharmaceutical industry – and, in fact, the entire world – to Stand with Science.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has not been approved or licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but has been authorized for emergency use by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for use in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use of this product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&C Act unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner. Please see EUA Fact Sheet at www.cvdvaccine.com