The Pfizer vaccine … one last hurdle before the green light



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The emerging corona virus vaccine, which is produced by the US company “Pfizer” in association with the German “Biontech”, faces one last hurdle before obtaining a license from the US health authorities for widespread use.

The new product is racing to become the first vaccine approved in the United States, but it has to pass a panel of experts who will examine the company’s data on the vaccine for any problems.

Thursday’s meeting of the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Advisory Committee may be the last step before the United States’ decision to begin shipping millions of doses of the vaccine, which has shown strong protection against the virus. Crown.

The FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee performs the same function as a scientific tribunal, discussing and examining the details of the data, publicly and via live broadcast, and whether the vaccine is safe and effective enough to be used in situations of emergency.

These non-governmental experts specialize in the development of vaccines, infectious diseases, and medical statistics.

The FDA is expected to heed the advice of the committee, although it is not required to do so.

The Food and Drug Administration’s decision comes as the Corona virus continues to spread across most of the world, claiming more than 1.5 million lives, including more than 289,000 in the United States.

There is concern that the meeting will be called off after officials in Britain warned that people with a history of severe allergic reactions should not receive the vaccine.

Government officials are investigating two reports of allergic reactions that occurred as the country began its mass vaccination on Tuesday.

However, the positive recommendation and swift approval from the US seems almost certain, after FDA scientists released a very positive initial review of the vaccine earlier this week.

The Food and Drug Administration said the results of the large ongoing study by “Pfizer” showed that the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in people of all ages, races, and chronic health conditions, including diabetes and diabetes. obesity.

No major safety concerns were detected, and common vaccine side effects, such as fever, fatigue, and injection site pain, were acceptable.

“The data presented in the short report was consistent with what we heard before and is truly exciting. I don’t see anything delaying authorization for use in an emergency,” said William Moss, executive director of the College’s International Center for Access to Vaccines. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Department.

The FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting also provides organizers with the opportunity to try to increase public confidence in the rapid development process that has produced the vaccine, and a host of other vaccines to come, in less than a year.

The Food and Drug Administration also faced weeks of “verbal abuse” from President Donald Trump for not rushing to provide the vaccine before Election Day.

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