Pharma/BioTech

Pfizer pill becomes 1st US-authorized home COVID treatment

Editorial Bureau December 23, 2021

WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus. The long-awaited milestone comes as U.S. cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all rising and

Health

EU regulator authorizes Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for kids 5-11

Editorial Bureau November 26, 2021

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The European Union’s drug regulator on Thursday authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for use on children from 5 to 11 years old, clearing the way for shots to be administered to millions of elementary school pupils amid a new wave of infections sweeping across the continent. It is the first time the […]

USA

Pfizer, U.S. ink $5.29 deal over possible COVID-19 treatment

Editorial Bureau November 19, 2021

NEW YORK — The U.S. government will pay drugmaker Pfizer $5.29 billion for 10 million treatment courses of its potential COVID-19 treatment if regulators approve it. Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to authorize the experimental pill, which has been shown to significantly cut the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among people […]

USA

Pfizer Pediatric Vaccination Program to Be ‘at Full Strength’ Next Week, White House Says

Editorial Bureau November 2, 2021

Though several million pediatric doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine should be available in the next few days, the vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11 in the United States will only start “running at full strength” in the second week of November, a top White House official said on Monday. Jeffrey D. Zients, the […]

World

Pfizer, Moderna seen making billions from COVID-19 vaccine booster market

Editorial Bureau August 13, 2021

NEW YORK (US) – Drugmakers Pfizer Inc, BioNTech and Moderna Inc are expected to make billions of dollars from COVID-19 booster shots in a market that could pave way to be rival the $6 billion in annual sales for flu vaccines for years to come, analysts and healthcare investors say. For several months, the companies […]

Middle East

Israel to give Pfizer booster jab to the over 60s – reports

Editorial Bureau July 29, 2021

JERUSALEM (ISRAEL) – Israel will set out on offering a third shot of the Pfizer/Biotech COVID-19 vaccine to people aged over 60, a world first in efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Israeli TV and radio said on Thursday. Those eligible will be able to get the booster shot as […]

Asia

Doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to be mixed by Vietnam

Editorial Bureau July 13, 2021

HANOI (VIETNAM) – Vietnam will offer the coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as a second dose option for people first inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the government said on Tuesday. Vietnam’s mass inoculation campaign is in its early stages, with fewer than 300,000 people fully vaccinated so far. It has so far […]

World

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children over 12 sanctioned by Brazil

Editorial Bureau June 11, 2021

SAO PAULO (BRAZIL) – Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children over 12 years of age has been sanctioned by Brazil. The country’s health regulator Anvisa made the announcement. Anvisa said it approved the measure after seeing studies, conducted outside Brazil, that showed safety and efficacy for the age group. The vaccine, the first in Brazil to […]

World

Leaders of rich nations come forward to help poor countries tackle COVID-19

Editorial Bureau May 21, 2021

ROME (ITALY) – Major drugmakers and rich nation leaders faced up on Friday to the startling global imbalance in fighting COVID-19 and made big pledges to up supplies of cut-price vaccines to poorer regions. Lavishly-funded mass inoculation campaigns are helping the West and others slash infections, but few shots have reached poorer nations where the […]

World

EU regulator supports month-long storage of Pfizer vaccine in fridges

Editorial Bureau May 17, 2021

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended an extension of the storage time for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at normal fridge temperatures to 31 days from five days. It has eased logistical challenges during rollouts in the region. The change is applicable for unopened vials, the EMA said on Monday, adding that its suggestion came […]