Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine changed its name to Comirnaty, but it’s the exact same vaccine

There is some confusion about the new name for the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech. Here’s what the Pfizer-BioNTech company website says about the name:

“Comirnaty is the new name for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Once a drug or other intervention receives FDA approval the manufacturer typically gives it a brand name, and Comirnaty is the brand name that Pfizer has chosen for its COVID-19 vaccine. It is the exact same vaccine as the one that was first authorized for use in December 2020, which we have come to know as the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine, with the same high degree of safety and effectiveness.”

All three of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. are effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

This article first appeared in the Aug. 28 issue of Oregon Coronavirus Update.