Covid-19 vaccines poised for approval in the West. But what about China?
- Britain became the first country to approve a drug developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, with regulators in the US and Europe also considering applications
- Chinese drug firms have yet to submit final data even though a million people have already received emergency shots
Britain approved the emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Wednesday, becoming the first Western country to begin vaccinating its population.
Other Western countries may soon start the process of mass innoculation if this and other vaccines, including one made by Moderna and another produced by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, gain approval from regulators in Europe and the United States.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting on December 10 to discuss the emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while Moderna has also applied for FDA approval.
Interim data show that the two vaccines have an efficacy of around 95 per cent, although questions remain about how long the immunity will last.
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UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in December
The European Medicines Agency will meet the following day to discuss the criteria for emergency use, and Pfizer and BioNTech have also applied for conditional marketing approval.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca drug is also being assessed by the British regulator. However, there are questions about the way the data was presented and why participants were given different doses, which may cause problems with the FDA.