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Medicine. German-American vaccine in use.
Washington. According to Health Minister Alex Azar, the US wants to start Covid-19 vaccines on Monday or Tuesday. The approval of the vaccine developed by the German company Biontech in association with the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer is expected in the next few days, Azar informed the American television channel ABC on Friday. The US Food and Drug Administration has assured that it is working quickly on an emergency approval for the vaccine.
In fact, the vaccine overcame a major hurdle Thursday after the FDA’s independent Vaccine Advisory Committee voted by a large majority to support expedited approval. The committee found by 17 to four votes that the benefits of vaccination clearly outweighed the risks in patients 16 years of age and older. One member abstained.
The German-American vaccine with contributions from Austria would be the first Covid-19 vaccine available in the US The reasons for the rejection by four committee members were initially not disclosed, but no serious medical-pharmacological problems caused were mentioned. by the active ingredient.
Biontech and Pfizer applied for emergency approval on November 20. Meanwhile, authorities had stated that they were not concerned about the use of the vaccine. The companies submitted a request for a conditional marketing authorization to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) early last week. Britain had started mass vaccination with the vaccine on Tuesday; So far there have been two cases of severe allergic reactions after vaccination. (ag.)
(“Die Presse”, print edition, 12.12.2020)
