Speaking at a Wall Street Journal event during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla directly criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stance on immunization, calling it “anti-science.” Bourla noted that while discussions on cancer research and drug pricing with Kennedy have been productive, talks collapse once vaccines are mentioned. He characterized Kennedy’s views as ideological and equated them to a belief system rather than a scientific debate, underscoring the risk such rhetoric poses to public health initiatives and Pfizer’s vaccine outreach efforts.

In his remarks, Bourla argued that meaningful progress on U.S. immunization policy hinges on a change in leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services. When pressed for specifics, he bluntly stated that “the health secretary” would need to be replaced for vaccine discussions to advance. This public call underscores mounting industry frustration over what Pfizer sees as regulatory and policy roadblocks that could impede rollout of next-generation mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.

Beyond vaccines, Bourla sounded the alarm on funding cuts to U.S. universities under the previous administration, warning that reduced federal support has eroded America’s leadership in global health research. He cited data showing that elite U.S. institutions—Harvard, MIT and Stanford—once held the majority of top-tier rankings, but now Chinese universities occupy roughly 80% of those positions. Bourla noted that reforms to China’s intellectual property regime and regulatory modernization have catalyzed a “meteoric rise” in Chinese pharmaceutical innovation, shifting the competitive landscape.

Against this backdrop, Bourla urged Western governments to bolster their own research competitiveness rather than attempting to constrain China, a stance that mirrors Pfizer’s recent strategic moves. In 2023, Pfizer acquired oncology specialist Seagen to enhance its antibody-drug conjugate pipeline, and in late 2025 it closed its purchase of Metsera to enter the high-growth GLP-1 therapeutics space. These acquisitions, combined with continued investment in R&D—Pfizer’s R&D expenditure exceeded $13 billion last year—are designed to offset looming patent expirations and position the company for long-term growth.