Pfizer vaccine ‘90% effective’ in ph-3 trial

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 9

Reporting results from early analysis of late-stage phase-3 trials, US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German collaborator BioNTech on Monday said their Covid vaccine candidate was found to be 90 per cent effective in preventing the disease among those without prior infection.

The companies plan emergency use authorisation once the required safety milestone is achieved, expectedly by November third week.

In a joint statement, the collaborators announced success from the first interim efficacy analysis of phase-3 data. The study was done by an independent data monitoring committee.

The protection from the disease was reported at seven days after the second dose and 28 days after the initiation of the vaccination, which consists of a two-dose schedule, said Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO.

Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder and CEO, termed it a victory for innovation and science. The phase-3 trial of BNT162b2 began on July 27. Around 43,500 participants have been enrolled to date, of whom 38,955 have received the second dose as on November 8.

2-dose schedule

BNT162b2 reported protection from Covid on seventh day after the second dose and 28 days after initiation of the vaccination (1st dose)

50 million

Doses likely to be produced in 2020; production may touch 1.3 billion doses in 2021

Sputnik updates on social media

Sputnik V manufacturers on Monday said all updates on the Russian vaccine’s launch would be shared across all social media platforms — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.