‘A great day for science and humanity’
LONDON: Pfizer Inc’s experimental Covid19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, the drug manufacturer said yesterday, a major victory in the war against a virus that has killed more than a million people and battered the world’s economy.
Scientists, public health officials and investors welcomed the first successful interim data from a largescale clinical test as a watershed moment that could help turn the tide of the pandemic if the full trial results pan out.
However, mass rollouts, which need regulatory approval, will not happen this year and several vaccines are seen as necessary to meet massive global needs.
Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE said they had found no serious safety concerns yet and expected to seek United States emergency use authorisation this month, raising the chance of a regulatory decision as soon as December.
If granted, the companies estimate they can produce up to 50 million doses this year, enough to protect 25 million people, and then produce up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
‘‘Today is a great day for science and humanity,’’ Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said, noting the data milestone came with ‘‘infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing overcapacity and economies struggling to reopen’’.
Experts said they wanted to see the full trial data, but the preliminary results looked encouraging.
‘‘This news made me smile from ear to ear. It is a relief to see such positive results on this vaccine and bodes well for Covid19 vaccines in general,’’ professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University of Oxford Peter Horby said.
There are still many questions, such as how effective the vaccine is by ethnicity or age and how long immunity may last.
‘‘But the bottom line is, as a vaccine it’s more than 90% effective, which is extraordinary,’’ top US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN.
The prospect of a vaccine electrified world markets with the S&P 500 and Dow hitting record highs.
Moderna is expected to report results from its largescale trial later this month.
‘‘It’s likely that we’re going to have more than one vaccine that’s effective,’’ Fauci said.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the test results, and the market boost.
‘‘STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!’’ he tweeted.
Presidentelect Joe Biden said the news was excellent but did not change the fact that face masks, social distancing and other health measures would be needed well into next year. — Reuters