(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday.
Vaccine advisers to the FDA voted Thursday to recommend the agency grant emergency use authorization. Seventeen members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted yes, four voted no and one abstained.
Several committee members expressed concern about reports of allergic reactions in two people who were vaccinated in Britain, which authorized Pfizer’s vaccine ahead of the US.
An EUA is short of a full approval. Pfizer would have to file a separate application for full FDA approval for its vaccine.
The U.S. FDA’s Twitter account released a statement after 6 a.m. on Friday saying it planned on following the advice of the advisers. In a joint statement, the FDA’s commissioner and Biologics Evaluation and Research director said Thursday’s advisory committee meeting helped influence their decision. In the statement, the FDA. said it has notified the CDC so it can execute its plan for “timely vaccine distribution.”
President-elect Joe Biden weighed in on Thursday, saying: “We are grateful to the scientists and researchers who developed this vaccine. And, we are grateful to the scientists and public health experts who evaluated the safety and efficacy of this vaccine free from political influence. The integrity of science led us to this point.”
Dr. Matt Anderson, senior medical director of primary care at UW Health, told News 3 Now on Friday this means vaccine shipments will probably start being sent out sometime between Monday and Wednesday of next week.
“This is one step in the process and obviously there are a couple more steps needed, but we’re excited and ready to get started for sure,” said Anderson.
He said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group within the CDC, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Health Services must also approve the vaccine before it can be given out. He expects both of these organizations might give the go ahead by the end of next week.
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