Ex-Pfizer Exec Pulled Into House Probe Over Alleged COVID Vaccine Delay Through 2020 Election

The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed Philip Dormitzer, a former Pfizer executive, over claims that the company delayed announcing favorable COVID-19 vaccine trial results until after the 2020 presidential election.

Dormitzer is expected to produce documents and appear before the committee on July 22, according to a Bloomberg report. 

Lawmakers, led by Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, had previously requested his voluntary cooperation before issuing the subpoena.

The panel’s letter, sent on Monday, referenced comments Dormitzer allegedly made during his time at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he worked after leaving Pfizer. 

Lawmakers claim he stated that senior leaders in Pfizer’s research division were involved in a decision to hold back clinical trial progress, delaying completion until after the election.

Dormitzer has denied the accusations.

The allegations echo a long-standing accusation by U.S President Donald Trump, who said vaccine data was held back to harm his reelection bid. 

Pfizer announced on Nov. 9, 2020, six days after the vote, that its vaccine, developed with BioNTech, was over 90% effective.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has previously dismissed claims of political interference. 

Speaking at a New York Times event, Bourla said, “The elections were always for us an artificial line. It may have been very important for the president, but not for us.” 

He added, “I didn’t receive any pressure per se on me to do something that was not appropriate... I would never do something like that.”

Although Bourla initially said data might be available by late October, the results were released after the election. 

Trump later tweeted that Pfizer “didn’t have the courage” to announce the news sooner.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Pfizer was ‘bearish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume.

Pfizer’s stock has declined 8.9% so far in 2025.

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