FDA, Under Pressure, Plans ‘Sprint’ to Accelerate Review of Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine for Full Approval. Under heavy pressure, the Food and Drug Administration center that reviews vaccines is planning to deprioritize some of its existing work, like meetings with drug sponsors and plant inspections, in an effort to accelerate its review of Pfizer’s application for the formal approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, a senior agency official told STAT.