Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has revealed that he recently dined with health secretary nominee and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – and vaccine talk was apparently not on the menu.
The $150 billion company CEO revealed the pair conversed over a meal after being introduced by President Trump, as revealed in an earnings call Tuesday, heard by Business Insider.
While the exact date of the meeting was not disclosed, Bourla said he and the health secretary nominee chatted civilly, conversing on topics they agreed on rather than straying to more divisive topics like “vaccines”.
RFK Jr. previously spouted the false claim that “autism comes from vaccines” on numerous occasions – and has staunchly denied being anti-vax ever since, particulary since being nominated to a position in Donald Trump’s cabinet, insisting his children are vaccinated.
Other theories peddled by the former presidential candidate include that human-made chemicals in water systems could ‘turn’ children gay or transgender and that HIV does not derive from AIDS, as per CNN.
Bourla insisted that vaccine-related discussion was not on the cards, and instead, the pair stuck to what they agreed on: “And those are things in chronic diseases, in cardiovascular diseases, and more importantly, in cancer, which is something that is very, very high in the mind of the president.
“And it is also very in the mind of Mr. Kennedy," he urged.
The CEO said he remained “cautiously optimistic” about Trump’s new and revamped administration.
"I think there are a lot of opportunities that probably outweigh the risks that we have with the radical change that we will see from the Trump administration," he added.
The revelation of the duo’s meeting came the same day, RFK Jr.’s controversial nomination to be secretary of Health and Human Services was advanced to the full Senate – a 14-13 vote.
As well as, falling in tandem with the release of Pfizer’s annual earnings report, which reflected revenues of $63.6 billion.
In the announcement, Bourla stated: “I’m excited for what’s ahead and confident that we will enhance shareholder value as we sharpen our focus to improve the productivity of our R&D pipeline and advance the clear strategic priorities guiding our company in 2025.”
Moreover, regarding the new era of Trump, Bourla believed the administration was not keen on "another health crisis” unfolding and retained the optimistic belief that "they will be very, very prudent with everything they try to do."
