Mercy Professor Rossi Hassad Presented at FDA Hearing on Use of Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Professor Rossi Hassad contributed his expertise in epidemiology to the recent FDA Open Public Hearing session of the December 10, 2020 Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting, which considered the issuance of an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 candidate vaccine.

During his presentation, Hassad supported the issuance of an EUA that clearly states the spectrum of COVID-19 disease that the vaccine is known to protect against. He also reinforced the need to monitor the vaccine’s safety and tolerability, as well as the need for additional prospective data to determine the level of effectiveness of the vaccine including subgroup differences and the durability of its protection.

Hassad’s presentation was based on his article published in Medpage Today on December 2, 2020 titled, “Considerations for Authorization of Pfizer’s COVID Vax.” To view the full article, click here.

The news site WRAL quoted Hassad’s presentation in a December 10, 2020 article: "‘The potential benefits of this vaccine outweigh the identified risks,’ said Rossi Hassad, a research and statistics professor at Mercy College who has expertise in Epidemiology.” To view the full article, click here.

To view the video and transcript of Hassad’s presentation to the Committee on C-SPAN, click here. To read the full transcript of the FDA hearing click here. Dr. Rossi’s presentation is on pages 135-138