Pfizer's R&D president Dolsten: Not taking government cash made us more nimble for COVID-19 vaccine

Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., Pfizer’s chief scientific officer and president for worldwide R&D and medical, is clear: The company's COVID-19 vaccine is here because of a decade of R&D work and taking major risks itself while not asking for government handouts.

Speaking to Fierce Biotech after the annual J.P. Morgan healthcare conference, Dolsten said: “This didn’t just happen by pure chance. We have been working on building an R&D organization for the future for more than a decade, and this has included sharpening our focus on several areas, including vaccines, and working with the best and most innovative partners, like BioNTech.”