The World Health Organization on Thursday listed the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, making it the first to receive such status since the start of the pandemic.
The WHO Emergency Use Listing opens the door for countries to accelerate their own regulatory approval to import and administer the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
The goal of the procedure, the organization said, is to make medical products, such as vaccines, available as soon as possible to address public health emergencies, while adhering to strict safety and quality controls.
The review of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine found that it met WHO criteria for safety and efficacy, and that the benefits of using the vaccine to address COVID-19 outweigh the potential risks.
The United Kingdom was the first Western country to approve the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
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