The pharmaceutical giant and partner BioNTech announced Friday that they are submitting a formal request to the Food and Drug Administration, just days after the vaccine was shown to be 95% effective.

Albert Bourla, head of the pharmaceutical giant, discusses plans for distributing its vaccine, which it says is 95% effective, and explains the timing of his $5.6 mllion sale of Pfizer stock.

The vaccine was found to be 95% effective in an updated study analysis. Safety data required by the Food and Drug Administration showed no serious concerns, the company said.

One of the two leading vaccine candidates requires deep, deep freezing. Here's how communities are working to solve for this and how the new Moderna vaccine could help.

Pfizer's CEO sold $5.6 million worth of stock on Monday. The company says the stock sale was made as part of a preset plan. But NPR found irregularities about when the CEO entered into that plan.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a public statement Friday that the company won't have data showing that the vaccine is safe before the third week of November at the earliest.

If the company's vaccine candidate pans out, Americans can receive it for free under the deal. The arrangement is part of the U.S. government's push to have a vaccine widely available by January.