Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective

The coronavirus vaccine designed jointly by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech shows 90% efficacy and prevents the spread of COVID-19, according to the first interim analysis of its Phase 3 trial, the last stage before formally applying for approval.

If the pharmaceutical authorities give the green light, it could make the vaccine available for use by the end of the year.

"For me, this is the best possible outcome," BioNTech co-founder and CEO Ugur Sahin told the Financial Times, while Pfizer's chief Albert Bourla said it was "a great day for science and humanity.

Protection in patients was achieved seven days after the second of two doses and 28 days after the first, according to preliminary findings.

"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," Bourla said in a statement.

The vaccine has been tested in 43,500 people in six countries and has not caused any safety problems so far.
Previous trials have shown that the vaccine trains the immune system to produce antibodies and stimulates a set of cells, called T-cells, to fight the coronavirus.

Pfizer and BioNTech said that up to 50 million doses of the vaccine could be manufactured this year, which would be the first vaccine to use a new mRNA technology, and an additional 1.3 billion doses could be produced by 2021.
The US has secured orders for 100 million doses of the injection, with an option to purchase a further 500 million, while the UK has an agreement to purchase 30 million doses. An agreement is being negotiated for the supply of 200 million doses to the EU.

"We are one significant step closer to giving people around the world a much-needed breakthrough in helping to end this global health crisis.

"We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development programme at a time when the world needs it most," Bourla added.

The vaccine is being tested in a two-dose regimen. The trial began in July, and since most participants only received their second dose much more recently, no one knows how long protection will last, according to Bloomberg.

Bags have skyrocketed by more than 9% since the news broke. Amadeus (a technology solutions company in the tourism industry) was up 30%, Aena 20%, Meliá Hotels 25% and the IAG airline group (parent company of Iberia and British Airways) was up 40% after hearing the news. The Ibex 35 rose by 9.5%, equivalent to 655 points, and was installed at over 7,500 points.

There are currently more than 150 candidate vaccines in development around the world. Moderna is considered the next closest vaccine pioneer. It has said that it could obtain safety and efficacy data from its last-stage trial this month. Johnson & Johnson , which has a single shot vaccine with a different technology, could obtain efficacy data from a final stage trial by the end of this year. AstraZeneca Plc is also working on a vaccine using a different technology, and results from studies in the UK and Brazil are expected by the end of the year.