Pfizer Inc. said a final analysis of clinical-trial data showed its Covid-19 vaccine was 95% effective, paving the way for the company to apply for the first US regulatory authorisation for a coronavirus shot within days.<\/p>\n
The US drugmaker and partner BioNTech SE said their vaccine protected people of all ages and ethnicities, with no significant safety problems so far in a trial that includes almost 44,000 participants.<\/p>\n
Pfizer shares rose 2.7% in premarket trading, with BioNTech American depositary receipts up 7.3%. European stocks extended their gains after the news, with the Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.4%<\/p>\n
The update is the latest in a string of promising developments on the vaccine front in recent days.<\/p>\n
Moderna Inc.\u2019s rival jab appears\u00a0equally effective, judging from data published earlier this week, and a third contender, from AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, is expected to release trial results in coming days.<\/p>\n
The Pfizer-BioNTech data shows 170 trial participants contracted Covid-19 overall. Eight participants who got the vaccine fell ill, while 162 cases were seen among those who got the placebo.<\/p>\n
The shot helped to prevent severe disease, according to the analysis, with nine of 10 severe cases in the trial occurring in the placebo group.<\/p>\n
The vaccine\u2019s efficacy in people older than 65 was more than 94%, the companies said.<\/p>\n
Most people who received the shot tolerated it well. Severe fatigue was seen in 3.7% of volunteers after the second dose in the two-shot regimen, but that was the only severe side effect that occurred in more than 2% of people, according to the analysis.<\/p>\n
Market rally<\/strong><\/p>\n Pfizer and BioNTech said last week that an initial readout showed the vaccine was more than 90% effective. The news helped spark a broad stock-market rally on hopes that the shot could help control a pandemic that has killed more than 1.3 million people worldwide.<\/p>\n On Monday, Moderna released its own promising results and said it expects to be able to apply for emergency authorisation in the U.S. within weeks.<\/p>\n Pfizer and BioNTech plan to seek US emergency authorisation \u201cwithin days,\u201d according to the release.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said at a conference that the companies had gathered the two-month safety follow-up data required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n Both the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are based on messenger RNA, a new type of vaccine technology that is able to be deployed very quickly.<\/p>\n It essentially transforms the body\u2019s cells into tiny vaccine making machines. The vaccines instruct cells to make copies of the coronavirus spike protein, stimulating the production of protective antibodies.<\/p>\n
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