Laurie McGinley

Frustrated doctors say they have had to ration the drugs because of short supply. “How on earth do I decide?” asks one doctor.

But Regeneron’s antibody treatment is expected to be in short supply.

Pfizer filed for emergency authorization for its coronavirus vaccine Friday, capping a two-week period marked by blockbuster scientific advances against the pandemic but also its ghastly toll: an additional 1.5 millon people diagnosed with covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, and 13,000 deaths.

Pfizer's experimental coronavirus vaccine had already shown promise in an early analysis. An application for emergency authorization will be submitted “within days,” the company said.

President Trump is lashing out at the Food and Drug Administration following a disclosure Monday that an experimental coronavirus vaccine from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is more than 90 percent effective, convinced the timing — six days after Election Day — proves the “medical deep state” deliberately tried to sabotage his electoral prospects by delaying the results.

The news Monday that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective sharply increased prospects that federal regulators will authorize the vaccine on an emergency basis as early as mid-December, and that the first shots will be administered before the end of the year or early next year.

The Democrat has vowed a science-based approach in seeking to bring the raging pandemic under control.

Aides say he plans to call Republican and Democratic governors during the transition to urge them to adopt mask mandates and communicate the importance of social distancing.

An experimental Alzheimer’s disease drug described by FDA staff as safe and effective stumbled badly when an agency advisory committee said there was not sufficient evidence to conclude the drug is effective. The non-binding action raised questions about whether the FDA would approve the drug.

The Biogen drug appears to be safe and effective for treating patients with early-stage disease, clinical review says.