UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine; first doses expected next week

The vaccine has been given emergency approval by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).

Experts at MHRA concluded that the vaccine has met "strict standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness," a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Russia and China have already approved vaccines, albeit without the results of large-scale efficacy tests.

The delivery of the 40 million doses will start immediately. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he expects 10 million doses to arrive this year.

Care home residents are first in line to receive the vaccine, followed by people aged over 80 and the National Health Service staff.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they can supply 50 million doses in 2020 and 1.3 billion by 2021-end.

The United States, which has pre-ordered 100 million doses, and Europe, which has bought 200 million, are also expected to approve the vaccine within weeks. The UK's approval of the vaccine before the US—particularly one developed by an American company—is set to put pressure on US regulators.

Notably, the MHRA has approved the vaccine within just a week, which is unprecedented.

Another first attached to the Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine is that the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology it uses has never been used for an approved vaccine.

Late-stage trial data found the vaccine has 95% efficacy and was equally effective among younger and older volunteers.

The vaccine has to be kept at low temperatures of -70°C, which is a challenge for its delivery.

Ugur Sahin, the CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said in a statement, "The emergency use authorization in the UK will mark the first time citizens outside of the trials will have the opportunity to be immunized against COVID-19."

He added, "We believe that the rollout of the vaccination program in the UK will reduce the number of people in the high-risk population being hospitalized."