Volunteers in the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trials who received a placebo will be able to receive a first dose of the vaccine by March 1, according to reports on Saturday.
The companies said the vaccine transition option in the study means that all participants can find out if they were given a placebo. Participants who learn that they received a placebo “have the option to receive the investigational vaccine while they remain in the study,” according to a statement to the study participants.
US Food and Drug Administration officials and external advisors said, however, that Pfizer’s “unorbitable” plan could make it more difficult to continue collecting safety and efficacy data needed for full FDA approval of the vaccine.
Participants in the placebo trial will have two doses of the investigational vaccine reserved for them in the study, the companies said.
“The study doctor will follow the latest guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their local health authorities to give participants the option to transition the vaccine as a matter of priority,” the companies told Reuters.