Nine drugmakers said Tuesday their chief executives signed a pledge promising to not file for regulatory approval or authorization of their experimental Covid-19 vaccines until the shots have shown to work safely through late-stage clinical testing.
The pledge was signed by the heads of AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKlineGSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Sanofi, BioNTech SE and Pfizer.
In it, the companies say “the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals” would always be their top priority. They promise to keep following scientific and ethical standards in clinical trials testing the Covid-19 shots, and in manufacturing. They also pledge to ensure supply across the world.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is expected to be involved in distributing vaccines, notified states that they should be ready to launch Covid-19 vaccination campaigns by November. …
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That timeline, just before the Nov. 3 presidential election, raised concerns among some scientists and other experts that the Trump administration would rush a vaccine to bolster President Trump’s re-election prospects.
On Monday, President Trump said at a news conference that a vaccine “will be very safe and very effective, and it will be delivered very soon.” He said the country “could even have it during the month of October.”
