Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., the two pharmaceutical companies closest to gaining U.S. clearance for a Covid-19 vaccine, is not a part of the White House summit intended to build confidence in the shots. The Food and Drug Administration FDA expected to decide on whether to allow the companies’ vaccines to be distributed in the coming days, there was worry that regulators and executives shouldn’t be seen rubbing elbows at the meeting scheduled on Tuesday. 

Operation Warp Speed had early discussions with several vaccine makers about the event, according to a senior administration official. However, the focus of the gathering shifted after Peter Marks, the head of the FDA center that reviews vaccines, volunteered to make a presentation. A decision was made not to include any drugmakers in the meeting as its inappropriate to have vaccine company executives touting their shots while in the same room with their regulator, the official said on a call with reporters on Monday.

The Tuesday meeting hosted by President Donald Trump is to boost confidence in the vaccine shots at a time when some groups have voiced objection to take them. The summit is likely to focus on distribution, with Trump planning to sign an order directing his Department of Health and Human Services to prioritize getting them to people in the U.S. before helping other countries.

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