Moderna, Pfizer decline WH invitation for COVID-19 "vaccine summit"

The Trump administration is hosting a "vaccine summit" on Tuesday that will include President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, pharmacies and logistics companies, but not any vaccine manufacturer representatives.

The big picture: Moderna and Pfizer declined the White House’s invitation, Stat News first reported. But a senior administration official said Monday that the administration ultimately deemed the vaccine manufacturers presence “not appropriate” due to their pending EUA applications.

Why it matters: The summit takes place just two days before the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is scheduled to review Pfizer's data and decide whether to approve the vaccine for emergency use authorization. Moderna is expected to be reviewed in the coming weeks.

Details:

• The summit will have select governors and health officials, including the FDA's Peter Marks, so Americans can better understand the vaccine approval and distribution process on a federal and state level, the White House said.
• Trump will also sign an executive order reinforcing Americans' guarantee to the vaccine.

Between the lines: Much of this event is a PR stunt from the White House, which is still reeling over Pfizer and Moderna making their vaccine announcements after the election.