An advisory panel to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended the emergency approval of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The recommendation is expected to indicate that the first approval of a Covid-19 vaccine for use in the US is impending, which would mark a major landmark in a pandemic that has killed over 285,000 Americans and 1.5 million people worldwide.
Shots could commence within days, depending on how quickly the FDA signs off, as expected, on the expert committee’s recommendation. In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the govt advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and older.
The independent review by non-government experts in vaccine development, infectious diseases and medical statistics was considered critical to boosting Americans’ confidence in the safety of the shot, which was developed at a breakneck speed less than a year after the virus was identified.
Pfizer has said it will have about 25 million doses of the two-shot vaccine for the U.S. by the end of December. But initial supplies will be limited and reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home residents, with other vulnerable groups next in line until the shots become widely available on-demand, something that will probably not happen until the spring.
FDA next week will review a second vaccine, from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that appears about as protective as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. A third candidate, from Johnson & Johnson, which would require just one dose, is working its way through the pipeline. Behind that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
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