U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has begun production of thousands of doses of its Covid-19 vaccine ahead of its expected approval next month.
On Sunday, the UK’s Daily Mail released a video showing a manufacturing plant in Belgium’s purse, with thousands of doses of the vaccine coming from the production line.
Pfizer said last week that it plans to launch the U.S. on November 3 at the end of November. About two weeks after the presidential election, it expects to file for emergency use rights for its Covid-19 vaccine by the end of November.
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The company said it expects to move forward with the vaccine once safety data becomes available in the third week of November.
The company says it expects to make 100 million doses available this year and a whopping 1.3 billion in 2021. Each recipient will need two doses.
Ben Osobon, head of Pfizer UK, told the Daily Mail that it was great to see the first bottle coming out of the product line. “It brought a tremendous smile to my face to see how all this work really results in production.”
The USA announced in July that the pharmaceutical company would pay Pfizer about 2 2 billion for the December delivery of 100 million doses of the developing COVID-19 vaccine. Under the agreement, the US will be able to buy a further 500 million doses.
The agreement is part of US President Donald Trump’s War Operation and Speed Speed Vaccine Program, under which several COVID-19 vaccines are being developed simultaneously. The program aims to deliver 300 million doses of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021.
Under the initiative, the government will accelerate development and purchase vaccines – before they are considered safe and effective – so that the drug can be at hand and delivered quickly after the FDA approves its emergency use after a clinical trial.
Pfizer’s announcement last week meant that two vaccines could be ready in the United States by the end of the year, with the Massachusetts biotech firm Moderna aiming to be authorized on November 25.
Pfizer Production Line for COVID-19 Vaccine (ScreenCapture / YouTube)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which authorizes pharmaceuticals for distribution in the U.S. – last week asked vaccine developers to spend two months monitoring for serious side effects after a second dose was given to trial participants.
The FDA will need the vaccine to prove effective and safe, while Pfizer will have to demonstrate that it is capable of mass production.
Pfizer and Morden, both U.S. Funded by the government, they began Phase 3 of their clinical trials in late July and both began production of the dose.
