American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech announced that their coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in phase three clinical trials. The result was based on the first interim efficacy analysis conducted on November 8 by an external, independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) from the Phase 3 clinical study. “Vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in participants without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first interim efficacy analysis,” Pfizer said in a statement.
Pfizer and BioNTech are also working to scale up production for global supply. Pfizer plans to activate its extensive manufacturing network and invest at risk in an effort to produce an approved COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible for those most in need around the world. The breadth of this program should allow the production of millions of vaccine doses in 2020, increasing to hundreds of millions in 2021.
After Monday’s announcement, stock markets around the world surged. Scientists said the news was a breakthrough in the global race to develop a jab to try and stop the pandemic. The developers – Pfizer and BioNTech – described it as a “great day for science and humanity”. Pfizer did not provide any more details about the clinical trials and cautioned that the initial immunity rate might change by the time the study ends. In the trials, volunteers did not know who received the real vaccine or a dummy shot. But a week after their second required dose, Pfizer’s study began counting the number who developed COVID-19 symptoms and were confirmed to have the coronavirus.
Biden and Trump welcome vaccine news
US President-elect Joe Biden welcomed the promising results from the vaccine trials, but warned that widespread vaccination was still months away. He also urged the US public to continue wearing masks and social distancing. “Today’s news is great news, but it doesn’t change that fact,” Biden said in a statement. “Today’s announcement promises the chance to change that next year, but the tasks before us now remain the same.” US President Donald Trump, celebrated the news and the boost to the stock market as “SUCH GREAT NEWS,” in a post on Twitter. European stock markets reacted positively to the news with Pfizer’s share increasing 6% while BioNTech’s US stocks rocketed up by 18%.
Pfizer Inc is currently in discussions with the government to distribute its potential COVID-19 vaccine in India. “We remain committed to advance our dialogue with the Government of India to make this vaccine available for use in the country,” Indian media quoted the spokesperson as saying.
But according to the reports, the experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE may not be coming to local pharmacies for the general public any time soon. The vaccine’s complex and super-cold storage requirements are an obstacle for even the most sophisticated hospitals in the United States and may impact when and where it is available in rural areas or poor countries where resources are tight.
