The University of Liverpool’s Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed joined a panel of expert scientists to update the UK on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine announcement at a Downing Street technical briefing on December 2, 2020.
The first COVID-19 vaccine for the UK has been given approval for use following a thorough review carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The decision by the UK regulatory authority was made with advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body.
Speaking at the briefing, Sir Munir said: “The data show that this vaccine is 95% effective. It is effective in all the groups that were given the vaccine within the trial, irrespective of age, sex, race or country that they lived in.
“We’ve also looked at the safety of this. The safety of the vaccine is similar to other vaccines and most of the side effects are very mild and usually last for a day or so.” Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed
Sir Munir is Chair of the CHM Expert Working Group whose job is to advise CHM on the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and on the balance of benefit and risks prior to authorization.
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