(Image: Yonhap News)
A South Korean panel of experts has backed the coronavirus vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's advisory board on Tuesday said Pfizer's vaccine showed a more than 95 percent efficacy rate across all adult age groups as well as in young people aged 16 and 17.
The announcement comes ahead of the launch of the country's inoculation plan, that includes the use of the Pfizer jabs starting from Saturday.
The panel advised the ministry to approve the two full-dose regimen after reviewing clinical trials on over 3,400 participants conducted in six countries, with half of them receiving the vaccine and half of them receiving a placebo.
The ministry said the result of the panel's second review will be announced Thursday with final approval expected Friday.
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