The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last night announced it has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, allowing shipments to begin and marking a significant milestone in the country's battle against the virus.At a briefing today, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, said the EUA marks an unparalleled achievement of different groups working together without external pressure to find efficiencies without cutting any safety corners.
He also praised the work of career FDA staff who have been working around the clock to move the assessment of the vaccine forward.An independent FDA panel on Dec 10 recommended that the vaccine be approved for emergency use in people ages 16 and older.