Epigraph:
Every human life is precious and sacred and saving one is like saving the whole of humanity. (Al Quran 5:32/33)
By Maggie Fox and Amanda Sealy, CNN
(CNN) A final analysis of the Phase 3 trial of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine shows it was 95% effective in preventing infections, even in older adults, and caused no serious safety concerns, the company said Wednesday.
The company counted 170 cases of coronavirus infection among volunteers who took part in the trial. It said 162 infections were in people who got placebo, or plain saline shots, while eight cases were in participants who got the actual vaccine. That works out to an efficacy of 95%, Pfizer said.
The data show Pfizer’s initial claim of a better than 90% efficacy — a claim that stunned and pleased health officials and vaccine developers last week — holds up.”Efficacy was consistent across age, race and ethnicity demographics. The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94%,” Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said in a joint statement.
Categories: Vaccine
There are so many different vaccines being developed these days. It will be interesting to see who of them makes a fortune and who of them does not.
Pfizer and its partner BioNtech and Moderna are destined for success. Additional companies unknown at the present.
I also have hopes for Novavax.
These are all mRNA vaccines.
Pfizer Inc. PFE -0.36% said it plans to ask U.S. health regulators on Friday to permit use of its Covid-19 vaccine, a milepost in months of frantic efforts to find a medicine that could beat back a rampaging pandemic.
Once the company files, it would be up to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide whether the two-shot vaccine works safely enough to roll out to millions of people.
It is unclear how long the agency will take to review the vaccine, which Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE BNTX 4.96% just days earlier said was 95% effective and well-tolerated in a 44,000-subject trial.
Given the urgency, the FDA is expected to move quickly. The timing of the filing is in line with industry and government officials’ projections for authorization and distribution to begin next month. Pfizer said the filing could allow for distribution to begin by the middle to end of December.
A green light would cap the fastest vaccine development program ever in the West, going from laboratory to authorization in less than a year. Pfizer, which partnered with Germany’s BioNTech in March, has so far spent about $2 billion on the effort.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-to-seek-authorization-of-covid-19-vaccine-friday-11605872700?mod=hp_lead_pos1
The vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, equivalent to minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Pfizer created a special container to keep the shots cold during distribution.
The ultracold storage requirements have sent some health authorities and hospitals scrambling to find special freezers.
The U.S. has agreed to pay Pfizer and BioNTech nearly $2 billion for 100 million doses. Federal health officials said patients would be able to receive the shots free of charge.
The companies have struck similar supply agreements with other countries.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-to-seek-authorization-of-covid-19-vaccine-friday-11605872700?mod=hp_lead_pos1