HHS Secretary Alex Azar said Nov. 16 that the FDA will move "as quickly as possible" to authorize the experimental COVID-19 vaccines being developed by Moderna and Pfizer, The Hill reported.
Mr. Azar said the FDA would remove any "unnecessary bureaucratic barriers" to the vaccines being available for public use.
"We hope those applications from both Pfizer and Moderna will get in as quickly as possible," Mr. Azar said, according to The Hill. "We will independently call those balls and strikes on the data and evidence, but we’re going to do so as quickly as possible, consistent with just making sure the science, the evidence and the law support authorization."
Pfizer announced Nov. 9 that its vaccine candidate can prevent more than 90 percent of COVID-19 infections. Moderna said a week later that its vaccine candidate was shown to be 94.5 percent effective. Both drugmakers said they plan to submit emergency use authorizations with the FDA soon.
Mr. Azar has previously said that a vaccine could be widely available to the public by next spring and that vulnerable communities, such as nursing homes, could get it as soon as December, according to The Hill.
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