A WHO emergency use list would allow countries to authorize vaccines for national emergency use and could open the door to international supplies of the vaccine through global buyers, the WHO told Reuters.
Referring to the British regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), he said in a statement to Reuters: “WHO is also in talks with MHRA about the possibility of accessing some of the information from its evaluation, which could accelerate the WHO emergency. ” list”.
The WHO comments come after Britain approved the vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, ahead of the United States and Europe to become the first country to formally endorse a jab.
Britain’s MHRA granted emergency use approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which they say is 95% effective in preventing disease, in record time, just 23 days since Pfizer published the first data from its clinical trial of final stage.
The Pfizer / BionTech formula is an mRNA vaccine that uses a small piece of genetic code from the pandemic virus to teach the body how to fight COVID-19 and build immunity. An mRNA vaccine has never been approved for use in humans before, and until now people only receive it in clinical trials.
The UK government had emphasized that the COVID-19 vaccine will only be authorized for supply by the UK’s independent regulator if it meets strict standards for quality, safety and effectiveness, and if they are satisfied, the vaccine can be manufactured in a manner consistent. Experts reiterated that MHRA approval means the vaccine is safe for human use.
The MHRA is the UK’s independent regulator, hailed as a globally recognized institution for demanding the highest standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
The vaccine is manufactured at BioNTech’s German sites, as well as Pfizer’s manufacturing site in Belgium.
The vaccine should be stored around -70 ° C and will be transported in special boxes, packed in dry ice. Once delivered, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson touted the approval of the medical authority as a global victory and a ray of hope amid the sadness of the new coronavirus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people worldwide, hit the global economy and it disrupted normal life.
News of its approval comes as the UK entered a three-tier lockdown on Wednesday after lawmakers approved the proposals in the House of Commons on Tuesday night. It means that most of England will remain under high or very high alert levels to curb coronavirus infection rates, with strict restrictions on mixing homes and gatherings.
The deadly virus has infected more than 1,647,000 people and claimed more than 59,000 lives across the UK amid waves of lockdowns to control its spread since March.
Globally, more than 63,894,000 people have been affected by the virus and more than 1,480,000 deaths have been reported.
With contributions from the agency
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