COVID19 vaccine

US, 9th November: Pfizer and Biotech together develop a vaccine has 90 per cent effective in preventing COVID19 infections in ongoing Phase 3 trials, the companies announced on Monday.

Protection in patients was achieved in a week after two doses, and 28 days after the first.

The first set of results from our Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent COVID-19,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said.

Pfizer and BioNTech SE are the first drugmakers to show successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a COVID19 vaccine.

We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis. We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most,” Bourla added.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the test results, “STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!” he said on Twitter.

3rd Phase clinical trial of BNT162b2 has begun on July 27 and has enrolled 43,538 participants to date, 38,955 of whom have received a second dose of the vaccine candidate as of November 8. At least 42% of global and 30% of U.S. participants have racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The trial is continuing to enrol and expect to continue through the final analysis when a total of 164 confirmed COVID-19 cases have accrued.

The study will assess the potential for the vaccine candidate to protect COVID-19 in those who have had prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2, as well as vaccine prevention against severe COVID-19 disease.

Across much of the globe, Covid-19 infections rates are soaring to record highs, with hospital intensive care units filling up and death tolls mounting as well. Based on supply projections, the companies said they expect to supply up to 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020, and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.