Pizer, BioNTech said Wednesday that final data analysis showed the coronavirus vaccine was 95% effective against Covid 19 and appeared to ward off serious diseases. The drugstore market said the vaccine, called BNT162b2, was “highly effective” against the virus within 28 days of the first dose and its efficacy was consistent across ages, races and ethnicities. In addition, patients deemed at high risk of contracting Covids 19 had a vaccine effectiveness of 94 percent, the researchers said.
BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said in a statement that the final analysis underscores the positive interim impact analysis announced on November 9. The data showed that the vaccine can trigger a high rate of protection against COVID 19 in patients at high risk of infection with the coronavirus, with a 95 percent protection rate within 28 days of the first dose. It was also observed to be well tolerated, with mostly mild to moderate side effects, which may be partly due to the relatively low dose, and it also appeared to prevent serious disease in some volunteers.
The company’s shares jumped 3% in premarket trading, but the company said there were no serious safety concerns.
The final analysis evaluated 170 confirmed Covid 19 infections, and the company said 162 cases of Covid 19 were observed in the placebo group, compared with 14 cases in a group that received two doses of the vaccine. This has led to an estimated 95 percent effectiveness of the vaccine. Moderna said preliminary data from the third phase showed the vaccines were 94.5% effective. The news comes less than a month after the companies announced that their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in the first clinical trial of a vaccine against the disease.
The vaccine uses messenger RNA technology (mRNA) and is a novel approach that uses genetic material to provoke an immune response.
A safe and effective vaccine is seen by investors and policymakers as key to getting the global economy back on track after a pandemic that has wreaked havoc and turned the economy upside down in almost every country in the world. The virus continues to spread rapidly and has spread to more than 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Pfizer and BioNTech presented preliminary results on November 9, based on a preliminary efficacy analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The US clinical trial will be monitored by an independent panel of experts to ensure the safety of participants.
The vaccine is approved and then rolled out with data worth several months, but medical experts have said it remains unclear how long the vaccine provides immunity and how often people need regular booster shots. We’re not going to do that to see if it’s effective for two years, and every year more than 200,000 people will die, “Offit said in a recent interview.
Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla told The New York Times’ Dealbook conference on Tuesday that the company had gathered enough data to submit the vaccine for review. Pfizer said it plans to file an emergency marketing application with the Food and Drug Administration within days. The company said it expects 50 million doses this year and 100 million over the next two years.
It also expressed confidence in distributing the vaccine, which requires only a third of the U.S. vaccine supply.
