Rep. Comer Grills FDA Official on Rushed COVID-19 Vaccine Approval

FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was fast-tracked per Dr. Peter Marks’s request, despite internal concerns.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), testifies to a Senate panel on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 11, 2021. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool/Getty Images

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official was pressed during a congressional hearing on Feb. 15 about his efforts for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to receive expedited approval.

Although Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, came before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to testify about the nation’s vaccine injury reporting and compensation systems, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) had another line of questioning in mind.