Oct 9 (Reuters) - Pfizer's ( PFE ) former CEO and Chair

Ian Read and ex-CFO Frank D'Amelio said in a statement that they

will not be involved with activist investor Starboard Value,

which wants the U.S. drug giant to make changes to turn its

performance around.

"We are fully supportive of Pfizer ( PFE ) Chairman and CEO Albert

Bourla, senior management and the board, and we are confident

that over time they will deliver shareholder value," the

executives said in a statement on Wednesday, which was issued by

Guggenheim Partners, an advisor to Pfizer ( PFE ).

Pfizer ( PFE ) and Starboard did not immediately respond to a

Reuters request for comment.

Read, who served as CEO until Albert Bourla took over the

position in 2019, and D'Amelio, who served as CFO until 2021,

had both expressed interest in helping Starboard Value after it

acquired a stake of about $1 billion in Pfizer ( PFE ), sources familiar

with the matter told Reuters on Sunday.