Drug Companies Sign Pledge Saying COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Is Top Priority

A nurse prepares a shot as a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway in Binghamton, N.Y., on July 27, 2020. Hans Pennink/AP Photo

Nine drug companies signed a pledge on Tuesday saying that safety is their highest priority in creating a COVID-19 vaccine.

The CEO’s of AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline pic, Johnson & Johnson, Merck (or MSD), Moderna Inc., Novavax Inc, Pfizer Inc., and Sanofi, signed the pledge, promising to uphold their standards regarding vaccine testing and saying they will put the safety of the patients receiving their vaccines as a top priority.