The US gave full approval to Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, a milestone that could lift public confidence in the shots and spur more companies, universities and local Governments to make vaccinations mandatory.
The formula made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech now carries the strongest endorsement from the Food and Drug Administration, which has never before had so much evidence to judge a shot’s safety.
More than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered in the US — and hundreds of millions more worldwide — since December. But up to now, they were dispensed in this country under what is known as emergency use authorisation from the FDA.
“The public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said.