The UK today became the first country to approve the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE. The vaccine will be available in Britain from next week, according to a statement from the UK government. The emergency authorization paves the way for the deployment of a vaccine that is expected to play an important role in the global effort to stop the coronavirus.
“The government today accepted the recommendation of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use. This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and extensive data analysis by MHRA experts who have concluded that the vaccine has met their strict standards for safety, quality and efficacy, “the UK government said in a release.
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“The vaccine will be available throughout the UK from next week. The NHS has decades of experience in implementing large-scale vaccination programs and will begin to put into action its extensive preparations to provide care and support to all who are eligible for vaccination, “the statement added.
Britain’s approval of BioNTech-Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid-19 marks a “historic moment” in the battle against the pandemic, said the chief executive of the US pharmaceutical group. “Today’s emergency use authorization in the UK marks a historic moment in the fight against Covid-19,” said Albert Bourla, Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer.
Pfizer and its German partner said in November that the injection, which was based on a novel technology called messenger RNA, was 95% effective in a final analysis of data from clinical trials.
The UK had signaled that it would act swiftly to approve a vaccine as part of an operation to protect its population, and doctors across the country were put on hold for a possible launch.
The UK has ordered enough doses of the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to immunize 20 million people. The companies also have agreements to supply hundreds of millions of injections to Europe, the United States, Japan, and elsewhere.
Pfizer and BioNTech earlier this week sought regulatory clearance for their vaccine in the European Union, putting the vaccine on track for possible approval there before the end of the year. In the United States, a panel from the Food and Drug Administration will meet on December 10 to discuss the vaccine. (With contributions from the agency)
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