Prognosis
U.K. Beats U.S. and Germany to Use of Vaccine They Created
- Pfizer, BioNTech shot to be made available in U.K. next week
- Medical regulator says ‘no corners whatsoever have been cut’
Source: BioNTech SE 2020
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The U.K.’s quick approval of the Covid vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE means Britons will get first dibs on a shot developed in two other countries -- the U.S. and Germany.
Britain’s drug regulator on Wednesday cleared the vaccine for emergency use, ahead of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its European Union counterpart. The government cited a rule allowing the U.K. to authorize a shot independently before the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31. An accelerated review process in which regulators were able to monitor Pfizer’s trial data in real time also helped.