Drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they will submit their emergency use authorization request to the Food and Drug Administration for their mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate on Friday.

“Our work to deliver a safe and effective vaccine has never been more urgent, as we continue to see an alarming rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 globally,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said in a statement. “Filing in the U.S. represents a critical milestone in our journey to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine to the world and we now have a more complete picture of both the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine, giving us confidence in its potential.”