A member of a United States Food and Drug Administration committee on vaccines said that the agency could issue an emergency authorization for Pfizer Inc’s PFE COVID-19 vaccine as early as Friday.
What Happened: James Hildreth, a member of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, said on NBC’s “Weekend Today” show that the body would meet on Thursday to review the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE BNTX.
“If the FDA commissioner decides to issue approval, the EUA, on that day when the vote is taken, as early as Friday of next week we could see vaccinations happening across the country,” Hildreth disclosed during the interview.
Why It Matters: Hildreth said a U.S. army official was responsible for the logistics of the vaccine distribution. The committee member named CVS Health Corp CVS as one of the companies involved in the rollout of the vaccine in the U.S.
“I think Americans can be confident that it is going to be distributed and done very well,” said Hildreth.
In terms of generating trust in the upcoming vaccine particularly in minorities, Hildreth revealed that the FDA was “identifying trusted messengers.”
The U.S. is the worst-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic with 14,933,847 cases and 283,631 deaths as of press time, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.
Price Action: Pfizer shares closed nearly 2.2% at $41.25 on Monday and gained 0.46% in the after-hours session. On the same day, BioNTech shares closed 4.75% higher at $125.70 and gained 0.24% in the after-hours session.
Related Links:
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Gets UK Approval For Emergency Use
Pfizer Applies For Emergency Approval For COVID-19 Vaccine In India: Media Reports
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