UK Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine, Raises Pressure on White House
The United Kingdom health regulators, in a step ahead of the United States, on Wednesday approved Pfizer-BioNTech jointly developed Coronavirus vaccine to allow mass immunizations against the deadly Covid-19 that has wasted over 1.4 million lives globally.
With the approval to use the coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by popular U.S pharmaceutical corporation, Pfizer, and BioNTech, a smaller German company, the United Kingdom is now set as the first Western country for massive nationwide vaccination campaign from next week.
With the UK vaccination campaign on motion coupled with Russia and China’s already approved vaccines without waiting for the results of large-scale efficacy tests, the United States White House will be coming under more fire over its delay on Coronavirus Vaccine roll outs.
For Britain, which has suffered one of Europe’s highest per capita death tolls from the virus, the decision by its drug regulator testified to a vaccination strategy that has been the most aggressive in the West.
Britain has pre-ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which was 95 percent effective in a late-stage clinical trial. The government has ordered a catalog of different vaccines that are in development — in all, more than five doses for each person in the country.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to decide on emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shortly after a meeting of an advisory panel on Dec. 10. American officials have said vaccinations could begin within 24 hours after approval.
Pfizer has said it expects to be able to produce up to 50 million doses this year, about half of them going to the United States. Since each person needs two doses, a month apart, up to 25 million people worldwide could begin vaccination before 2021.
The United States has bought 100 million doses in advance from Pfizer, and the European Union 200 million doses.
In a clinical trial, the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine proved especially effective among older adults, who are more vulnerable to developing severe Covid-19 and who do not respond strongly to some types of vaccines. It caused no serious side effects.
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Beyond those challenges, manufacturers will quickly need to make hundreds of millions — eventually billions — of doses of the vaccine and move them to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies without jeopardizing what is inside.
The Coronavirus Vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech makes this effort especially complex. It has to be stored at around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit) until shortly before it is injected, requiring transportation in boxes stuffed with dry ice. Moderna’s vaccine needs to be frozen, too, but only at minus 20 Celsius.
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Those requirements, along with high costs, could substantially limit the number of countries and people that have access to those vaccines.
For that reason, much of the world had been waiting expectantly for the results from AstraZeneca and Oxford, which will cost only a few dollars per dose and is easy to store for long periods. Britain, too, has staked a considerable part of its vaccine strategy on the AstraZeneca vaccine, buying 100 million doses.
