Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine needs to be reviewed

for side effects

Kwon Jun-wook,the 2nd vice-president of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said that it is necessary to determine after confirming adverse reactions at the briefing.

With the interim results announced that the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine being developed together by Pfizer in the United States and BioNTech in Germany is more than 90% effective, the Korean government has decided to take a cautious approach in the future.

 

It is because the clinical results of other products are expected to be released sooner or later, and safety is the top priority, so there is no need to worry about supply and demand.

 

Joon-Wook Kwon, the second vice president of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea National Institute of Health), answered the news of Phase III clinical trials of Pfizer's vaccine and the direction of response to supply and demand of vaccines in Korea through a briefing during the day on the 10th.

 

Currently, Korea is in the process of securing the COVID-19 vaccine through bilateral consultations with some global pharmaceutical companies following the COVAX organization.

 

However, the progress of pre-purchase is not disclosed through agreements with companies, but pre-purchase of products that have entered phase III clinical trials worldwide are being discussed.

 

In other words, this drug also belongs to the group of drug candidates that Korea can select through international organizations that have already paid the advance payment.

 

Pfizer's Phase III clinical trial is the fastest news among them.

 

Pfizer analyzed 94 people infected with COVID-19 among the participants of Phase III on the 9th of the local time, and found that the drug being developed is showing a 90% preventive effect.

 

However, in the case of Pfizer, the UK has already announced the pre-purchase, and Germany has also declared priority to supply its own people.

 

Accordingly, the domestic supply and demand situation is also a concern.

 

He said, "It is obvious that (Pfizer's phase III clinical trial) is in a good situation, so that it is difficult to find a case that achieved good results through clinical phase III in 9 months." also he added that we are looking at additional results and comprehensively reviewing various drugs being developed by other companies besides Pfizer.

 

He said, “Based on our experience now, there are no cases of good results through phase III clinical trials in 9 months,” he said.

 

“ However, as a quarantine authority, Pfizer confirmed additional results and Besides, we are looking at various drugs being developed by other companies.” However, we reaffirmed our cautious position on concern that the opportunity for Korea to pre-purchase will be diminished due to the supply of domestic companies by developers.

 

He said, "It's not that we're going to do the pre-purchase slowly.

 

The pre-purchase will do our best to proceed normally, but the actual vaccination results of other countries, and adverse reactions or problems occurring in the field, etc.

 

"I will check closely and do it slowly." He also emphasized that "the vaccine will be carefully judged by watching the vaccination situation in other countries."