ZURICH (Reuters) – Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Tuesday he expects a “very intense” meeting with a U.S. vaccine advisory panel this week but is counting on the panel of outside experts to sign off on his company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Bourla’s comments to reporters came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released documents raising no new safety or efficacy issues, setting the stage for Thursday’s meeting with outside experts to the FDA who will discuss recommending the Pfizer shot for people aged 16 and older.
“We have answers to every question they will ask,” Bourla said on a call. “I think they will vote ‘yes’ given the strength of the data.”
(Reporting by John Miller in Zurich, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Matthias Blamont in Paris)