WHO approved Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in progress for developing nations

WHO approved Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in progress for developing nations

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The vaccine was first approved in the UK on December 8 for emergency use within the country, with the USA, Canada and the European Union following. They all started their own vaccination campaigns.

But the green light from the World Health Organization (WHO) means that countries without their own regulatory bodies, or the means to rigorously assess the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, can accelerate their own approval processes and start implementing vaccination programs.

There has been concern about the uneven distribution of vaccines, as the richest countries have purchased or signed contracts to buy large quantities of the doses available or those awaiting approval.

In a statement on Thursday, the WHO said that organizations like UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization can now purchase the vaccine for distribution to countries in need.

“This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to Covid-19 vaccines. But I want to emphasize the need for an even greater global effort to obtain sufficient vaccine supplies to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere, ”said Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO Deputy Director-General for access to medicines and products of health.

“WHO and our partners are working night and day to evaluate other vaccines that have reached safety and efficacy standards. We encourage even more developers to provide review and evaluation. It is vitally important that we ensure the critical supply needed to serve all countries in around the world and contain the pandemic. ”

WHO staff and independent experts reviewed data on the safety, efficacy and quality of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to perform a risk versus benefit analysis, the statement said.

“The review concluded that the vaccine met the mandatory safety and efficacy criteria established by WHO, and that the benefits of using the vaccine to treat Covid-19 outweigh the potential risks,” the document said.

A group of WHO immunization experts will meet on January 5 to outline policies and recommendations for the use of the vaccine in populations. It will also help them establish cold supply chains, as the vaccine needs to be stored at 60-90 degrees Celsius.

Although the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is the first to obtain WHO approval, there are hopes that cheaper and easier to distribute options will be available soon.

One such option is the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which was approved by UK regulators on Wednesday. The country will begin administering the shots from January 4.

AstraZeneca has pledged to supply hundreds of millions of doses to low- and middle-income countries and to deliver the non-profit vaccine to those nations in perpetuity.

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