Covid vaccine: US drugs agency FDA to proceed with Pfizer approval
The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has said it will proceed with emergency use approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine. In a statement, the FDA said it would “rapidly work toward finalisation and issuance” of the authorisation. US Health Secretary Alex Azar said the vaccine should be authorised within a couple of days. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved for the public in the UK, Canada, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday the US recorded more than 3,000 deaths – the highest total in a single day anywhere in the world.
On Thursday, medical experts advising the FDA recommended the emergency use approval. A 23-member panel concluded the vaccine’s benefits outweighed its risks. “Following yesterday’s positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, the US Food and Drug Administration has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalisation and issuance of an emergency use authorisation,” the FDA statement said. “The agency has also notified the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed [the federal government’s vaccine distribution programme], so they can execute their plans for timely vaccine distribution.”(BBC)…[+]