Pfizer Inc's Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla has said that the company would never discuss the US Food and Drug Administration's guidelines on coronavirus vaccines with the White House as it could undermine the agency's independence.

“We believe U.S. FDA's independence is today more important than ever as public trust in #COVID19 vaccine development has been eroded by the politicisation of the process,” Bourla said on Twitter.

White House officials are blocking new FDA guidelines for emergency release of a coronavirus vaccine, including one that would likely ensure that no vaccine could be authorized before the November 3 presidential election, the New York Times reported yesterday.