Pfizer reveals Covid-19 vaccine candidate is 90% effective

A successful Covid-19 vaccine is a step closer after Pfizer/Biontech revealed its vaccine candidate is 90% effective, according to its first interim analysis.  

The findings, which are well above the 50% effectiveness for a vaccine to be approved, comes following a clinical trial which involved over 43,000 people.

Some 42% of global participants and 30% of US participants come from a racially and ethnically diverse background.

The vaccine is said to have also demonstrated an apparent efficacy against the virus in participants without prior evidence of an infection.

Based on current projections, Pfizer said it expects to produce 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020, and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. 

Dr. Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO at Pfizer, said: “Today is a great day for science and humanity. The first set of results from our phase three Covid-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent Covid-19.

“With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis.”

Professor Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder and CEO, added: “The first interim analysis of our global phase three study provides evidence that a vaccine may effectively prevent Covid-19. This is a victory for innovation, science and a global collaborative effort.

“When we embarked on this journey ten months ago this is what we aspired to achieve. Especially today, while we are all in the midst of a second wave and many of us in lockdown, we appreciate even more how important this milestone is on our path towards ending this pandemic and for all of us to regain a sense of normality.”

It added that the trials will continue, with Pfizer currently preparing safety and manufacturing data to submit to the FDA to demonstrate the “safety and quality” of the vaccine.