The United Kingdom on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE.
BREAKING NEWS: The Government has accepted @MHRAgovuk recommendation for authorisation of @Pfizer and @BioNTech_Group‘s #COVID19 vaccine for use in the UK.
This follows:
✅ clinical trials
✅ analysis of the data
✅ MHRA authorisedRead full statement: https://t.co/2aCQFySAAT pic.twitter.com/XhPVN9cc5Q
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) December 2, 2020
According to a statement from the U.K. government, the vaccine will be available in Britain from next week.
“The government has today accepted the recommendation from the Independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use,” the government said.
“The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week.”
Britain’s approval of BioNTech-Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid-19 marks a “historic moment” in the battle against the pandemic, the US pharma group’s chief executive said. “Today’s Emergency Use Authorisation in the UK marks a historic moment in the fight against Covid-19,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.