Pfizer CEO says RFK Jr. wasn’t his ‘first choice’ for HHS Secretary

Pfizer (PFE) CEO Albert Bourla says he’s learned to work with some unlikely allies — even those who once questioned the very foundation of his business.

“Clearly, that was not going to be my choice for HHS secretary,” Bourla said at Yahoo Finance’s Invest event on Thursday, referring to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the longtime vaccine skeptic tapped by President Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“But it’s not my choice. It is the president’s and it is the Senate. And he got confirmation and I tried to work very constructively.”

Bourla, whose company became synonymous with the pandemic-era vaccine rollout, brushed off concerns that Kennedy’s views pose any long-term risk to Pfizer.

“We are not going back to past times,” he said. “Vaccines have saved the world and will continue doing that … it’s the most cost-effective medical healthcare intervention.”

The pairing of Trump and Kennedy has been one of Washington’s more unconventional storylines.

Even so, Kennedy — a vocal critic of vaccine mandates — has so far focused on drug price reform and regulatory streamlining rather than vaccine skepticism.

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Bourla said the two have found common ground, particularly around new frameworks for FDA reviews and vaccine distribution partnerships.

Pfizer shares have slipped 3% in the past year, underperforming the S&P 500’s (^GSPC) roughly 15% gain as investors weigh a post-pandemic reset for the pharmaceutical giant.

The company has leaned into oncology and weight-loss drugs while navigating political headwinds over pricing.

Trump’s renewed focus on lowering drug costs has added another layer of pressure on Big Pharma.

Bourla said consumers could start seeing meaningful changes by the “beginning of the year,” pointing to Medicare negotiations and a “more realistic” pricing plan hashed out by the Trump administration and HHS.

Still, healthcare insurance distorts how Americans experience drug pricing. “With medicines, they have very high deductibles and very high out-of-pocket copay,” he noted. “The consumer experienced pricing that on average are double than the prices that we charge in the US.”

He also weighed in on AI’s growing role in drug development, calling it one of the most transformative forces in modern medicine. Pfizer is already using AI to accelerate clinical trials and drug design, said Bourla.

Francisco Velasquez is a Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. Story tips? Email him at francisco.velasquez@yahooinc.com.