In Beaumont, Texas, attorneys for a whistleblower alleging violations occurred during the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial argued in federal court on March 1 that their case should advance to the discovery phase.
Attorneys for the defendants—Pfizer and two subcontractors, Ventavia Research Group and ICON—tried to convince the judge to dismiss the case. If successful, their clients would avoid depositions under oath.
Defense attorneys told the judge Wednesday that whether protocol violations occurred was ultimately irrelevant because the federal government was made aware of them but still granted emergency authorization to Pfizer’s vaccine.
They pointed out that the federal government backed the defendant’s motions, asserting that even if rules were violated, the problems only affected a small number of trial sites….