House committee subpoenas Pfizer executive in probe of alleged Covid vaccine delay

The committee said Dr. Philip Dormitzer did not comply with voluntary requests for information.

The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed a former Pfizer executive who is considered central to its investigation into an allegation that clinical testing related to the development of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine was purposefully delayed until after the 2020 presidential election, according to documents obtained by CNN Monday. The demand for documents and a deposition from Dr. Philip Dormitzer, first obtained by CNN, comes after the committee says Dormitzer has failed to comply with requests to appear voluntarily and turn over records. Dormitzer is a key figure in the legislative probe. The committee has alleged that it had information the former Pfizer executive, after going to work for British drugmaker GSK, told his colleagues that Pfizer had delayed announcing its Covid vaccine was effective until after the election. The Wall Street Journal reported that GSK brought those claims to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. But Dormitzer disputed that there had been any delay in seeking approval for the vaccine. He told the newspaper, “My Pfizer colleagues and I did everything we could to get the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization at the very first possible moment,” and that “any other interpretation of my comments about the pace of the vaccine’s development would be incorrect.” CNN reached out to Dormitzer and his representative for comment. In issuing him a subpoena, the Judiciary Committee noted his importance to the probe. “Based on the information we have obtained to date, the Committee believes your testimony is critical for our oversight,” the letter said.