PFIZER: JAB IS 95% EFFECTIVE

FINAL results from Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine trial showed its jab had a 95% success rate plus two months of safety data, paving the way for the company to apply for an emergency US authorisation within days.

The efficacy rate of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is the highest of any candidate in late-stage clinical trials so far, and experts said it was a significant achievement in the race to end the pandemic.

Pfizer said yesterday 170 volunteers in its trial – involving more than 43,000 people – contracted Covid-19 but 162 of them had only been given a placebo, which it said meant the vaccine had 95% efficacy.

Of the ten people who had severe Covid-19, one had received the vaccine. ‘A first in the history of mankind: less than a year from the sequence of the virus to the large-scale clinical trial of a vaccine, moreover based on a whole new technique,’ said Enrico Bucci, biologist at Temple University in Philadelphia. ‘Today is a special day.’ Pfizer said it expected the US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee to review and discuss the data in a public meeting that will likely be held next month. The final analysis comes a week after initial results from the trial showed the jab was more than 90% effective. Another firm, Moderna, released preliminary data for its vaccine, showing 94.5% effectiveness, on Monday.

The better-than-expected results from the two vaccines have raised hopes for an end to a pandemic that has killed more than 1.3 million people and wreaked havoc upon economies and daily life.

‘These are extraordinary results, and the safety data look good,’ said David Spiegelhalter, a professor and expert in risk and evidence communication at Cambridge University.

The Taoiseach has said that those vulnerable to Covid will be prioritised for vaccinations which could begin by the end of December.

However, it will be months before large-scale rollouts begin.

Distribution of a Pfizer jab is complicated by the need to store it at ultracold temperatures of -70C. It can, however, be kept in a normal fridge for up to five days, or up to 15 days in a thermal shipping box.