No pressure on FDA, says White House on vaccine as US election nears

The White House said today that "no one is pressuring the FDA to do anything" after reports said there is increasing pressure on the agency to pass the coronavirus vaccine ahead of the US election to be held on November 3.

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"The priority here is saving lives," White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany said.

President Trump had earlier announced that the United States will be ready with the vaccine ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile drugmaker Pfizer said it should know by the end of October whether the coronavirus vaccine it is developing with BioNTech is safe and effective. The drugmaker said that it will seek approval immediately if trial results show positive results.

Pfizer and Moderna had begun final phase-3 clinical trials on July 27 with the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) likely to give emergency use approval for critically ill patients to allow early release to the public.

US infections diseases expert Anthony Fauci said that initial results could come in "November or December."