Covid-19: Pfizer announces that its vaccine candidate is "90% effective"
Pfizer and BioNTech are the first laboratories to release interim results from phase 3 vaccine trials. REUTERS
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The announcement by the Pfizer and BioNTech laboratories of a 90% effective vaccine against the coronavirus, this Monday, November 9, aroused many enthusiastic reactions.
Pfizer share soars.
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The
elected president of the United States
Joe Biden has spoken of signs of "
hope
" after the announcement by Pfizer (United States) and Biontech (Germany) vaccine "
90% effective
" against Covid -19, depending on the phase 3 large-scale trial in progress, the last step before an application for approval.
Patient protection was achieved seven days after the injection of the second dose of the vaccine and 28 days after the first, according to preliminary results.
"
More than eight months after the start of the worst pandemic in more than a century, we believe that this step represents a significant step forward for the world in our battle against Covid-19
", declared the president and chief executive officer of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, in a statement.
“
The first set of results from our Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial provide initial evidence of our vaccine's ability to prevent Covid-19,
” he adds.
Trump reacts, the stock markets in turmoil
The announcement of the two pharmaceutical groups was also welcomed by the current US President Donald Trump.
“
The stock market is rising sharply, a vaccine is coming soon.
90% efficiency.
What great news
!
He tweeted.
STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON.
REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE.
SUCH GREAT NEWS!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
This announcement also caused a jump in European stock markets.
Based on projections, Pfizer and BioNTech said they plan to deliver up to 50 million doses of vaccine globally in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
The "
vaccine efficacy rate of more than 90%
"
was measured by comparing the number of participants infected with the new coronavirus in the group that received the vaccine and in that under placebo, specify Pfizer and Biontech in their press release.
In much of the world, rates of Covid-19 infections are reaching record levels, hospital intensive care units are filling up and the death toll continues to rise.
Second Russian vaccine
According to the
World Health
Organization (WHO), 10 vaccine clinical trials are currently in phase 3 around the world, including those of the American biotech Moderna, several Chinese state laboratories and the British AstraZeneca, in collaboration with the university from Oxford.
Pfizer and BioNTech are the first to release interim results from these trials.
No vaccine has yet received approval for large-scale commercial distribution.
But Chinese authorities have given the green light for emergency use for some of these vaccines.
In Russia, much of the political elite have said they have been vaccinated with the
Sputnik V vaccine
, which the government hopes to roll out massively in the coming months.
The country submitted to the WHO at the end of October a request for prequalification of this vaccine, "
registered
" by the authorities in early August, which in Russia corresponds to the stage prior to the final phase of clinical trials.
A second Russian vaccine was registered in mid-October.
(
With AFP
)
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