Pfizer vaccine: What people with allergies need to know

UK, US and Canada become first Western countries to begin inoculations using Pfizer-BioNTech jab

With Britons, Americans and Canadians now receiving the Pfizer-BioNtech coronavirus vaccine, authorities in each country have provided advice for people with allergies.

In the UK, drugs regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week said that people with a history of “significant” allergic reactions should avoid the jab.

It issued the warning after two NHS staff members who were given doses suffered an allergic reaction.

Both workers, who have a “strong past history of allergic reactions” and carry an adrenaline auto-injector with them, recovered after receiving the appropriate treatment.

Following the incident, MHRA chief Dr June Raine said in a statement: “Any person with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. A second dose should not be given to anyone who has experienced anaphylaxis following administration of the first dose of this vaccine.

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“Anaphylaxis is a known, although very rare, side effect with any vaccine. Most people will not get anaphylaxis and the benefits in protecting people against Covid-19 outweigh the risks.”

“Anyone due to receive their vaccine should continue with their appointment and discuss any questions or medical history of serious allergies with the healthcare professional prior to getting the jab.”

The public, Dr Raine added, can be “completely confident” the vaccine meets the MHRA’s “robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness”.

In the US, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators said over the weekend that most Americans with allergies should be safe to receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine.

The FDA, which authorised the vaccine late last week, said that only people who have previously had severe allergic reactions to vaccines or ingredients in this particular vaccine should avoid getting the shot.

Maureen Hughes, 84, receives the first of two injections with a dose of the Pfizer/BioNtech covid-19 vaccine at Feldon Lane Surgery in Halesowen, West Midland (Jacob King/PA)

“We're telling people that unless they've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine, or one of its components, they can receive it,” Dr Peter Marks, director of the FDA division that authorised the vaccine, said during a press conference.

After Britain’s MHRA advised that anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a medicine or food should not get the Pfizer vaccine, Dr Marks said: “About 1.6 per cent of the population has had a severe allergic reaction of some sort or another to a food or some environmental aspect and we would really not like to have that many people not be able to receive the vaccine.”

The FDA advised people with allergies to consult with their doctors to make sure they are not allergic to any component of the vaccine.

Read more: What we know about Covid-19 vaccine safety

Pfizer executives said on Friday that there had been no cases of severe allergic reactions to the vaccine during its nearly 44,000 volunteer late-stage clinical trial. That trial excluded people with a history of severe allergic reactions to any vaccine or to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine's ingredients.

They said there were no anaphylactic episodes related to the vaccine in the trial, which did include about 6,000 participants respectively in both the vaccine and placebo groups with a range of allergic conditions such as pollen allergies and food allergies. Those participants had a history of symptoms including anaphylaxis.

In Canada, authorities on Saturday said anyone with vaccine allergies should not take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“If you have an allergy to a vaccine or this vaccine or any components of the vaccine, you should not get it,” said Supriya Sharma, senior medical adviser at Health Canada. “But if you have other allergies, you can go ahead and get vaccinated.”

Health Canada will be monitoring people who are inoculated for adverse reactions or side effects, she said.

Canadian officials have said they expect to receive 6 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines before the end of March. Each vaccine requires two doses, given about three weeks apart.

Additional reporting by agencies