FDA to Meet to Consider Pfizer-BioNTech Emergency Coronavirus Vaccine Authorization

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will meet Thursday to discuss emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine. A vote could come after the advisory committee, the FDA and vaccine experts hear the companies' presentations and participate in a Q&A session. Some FDA officials and advisory committee members predicted the vaccines would receive approval since trial results show the vaccine to be 95% effective, which meets the FDA's required 50 percent. If approved, distribution is expected to start within 24 hours of authorization. This comes after the U.K. authorized the vaccine last week, and after Canada authorized the vaccine Tuesday. The committee is expected to meet once again on Dec. 17 to discuss Moderna's EUA application. Coverage from across the political spectrum tended to speculate about the likelihood of the vaccine receiving approval, as well as providing detailed description of how the vaccine was developed. Editor's Note: A earlier version of this story misspelled BioNTech. We regret the error.