Pfizer Covid Vaccine Gets US FDA Nod For Emergency Use Approval

Covid-19 Vaccine Updates: Pfizer India on December 4 submitted application to the DCGI seeking emergency use authorization (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine in India.

(Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

A high powered US government advisory panel has recommended the emergency approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine against a virus that has killed more than 292,000 Americans. According to an IANS report, the US Food and Drug Administration, comprising independent scientific experts, doctors and statisticians, voted 17 to 4, deciding that Pfizer's shot appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and older.

Worry Over Pfizer Covid Vaccine

The deployment of this vaccine marks a decisive turning point in the battle with the pandemic. The approval has come despite questions about allergic reactions to two-four people who received the shots earlier this week. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators, four volunteers who were administered the vaccine shots during the trial stage have developed Bell’s Palsy. The condition causes a temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face. It can occur when the nerve that controls your facial muscles is inflamed, swollen, or compressed. The condition causes one side of your face to droop or to become stiff. This immediately follows the U.K. National Health Service's statement where it cautioned that people with a 'significant' history of allergies should not take Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine after two receivers reported reactions from the shots.  

Pfizer Vaccine in India:

Meanwhile, Pfizer India has become the first pharmaceutical firm to seek from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) an emergency use authorisation for its Covid-19 vaccine in the country. According to a PTI report, Pfizer India on December 4 submitted application to the DCGI seeking emergency use authorization (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine in India.