After Pfizer revealed its coronavirus vaccine candidate is 95% effective, CEO Albert Bourla said on November 18 that he would seek approval from the U.S. and U.K. for market release by early December.
According to the Daily Mail, Bourla regarded the release of trial results as an important phase in the company's eight-month journey to developing a vaccine against the SARS-COV-2 and help end the global COVID-19 pandemic. "We continue to move at the speed of science to compile all the data collected thus far and share with regulators around the world," Bourla said.
Pfizer COVID vaccine: 95% effective, even on elders
Pfizer revealed on Thursday, November 19, that it can already submit the required two months safety data of BNT162's stage 3 trials to apply for a vaccine license from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. as well as to international regulators.
The pharmaceutical company said the vaccine seemed to consistently work well on people across all ethnicities and age groups. This is crucial for protecting the elderly and non-white people who are at highest risk from acquiring severe COVID-19. These results also mean the vaccine can be effective for other countries other than the U.S. and Western Europe. Meanwhile, the BNT162 also shows 94% efficacy in people aged more than 65 who are the most at risk from the coronavirus.
Two doses of the BNT162 vaccine will be given to patients three weeks apart. Also, the study measures result after 28 days since the first jab was given. While it is unclear how long people would get protected against coronavirus as it can only be proven in the coming months or years. Meanwhile, the study will continue for the next couple of years.
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UK regulators waiting for Pfizer's trial data
As British drug regulator, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is doing a rolling review of the Pfizer vaccine, MHRA chief executive Dr. June Raine said that the recent results "are very encouraging." "We look forward to receiving the full results of the trials as soon as possible, after which we will rigorously assess the evidence of safety and effectiveness of the vaccine," Raine said.
The MHRA also said that it looks forward to receiving the full vaccine trials results as soon as possible. Upon receiving the full data from Pfizer, the regulator body also vowed to carefully carry out their work in assessing whether Pfizer's vaccine candidate meets the robust safety standards, quality, and effectiveness.
A British spokesperson welcomed the news and confirmed that the UK's Vaccines Taskforce has already pre-ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer.
NHS ready for vaccine distribution
The UK government is racing to properly set up an infrastructure that will be used for its mass vaccination program. This includes training new staff and building pop-up clinics across the nation.
Once a vaccine becomes available, the National Health Services (NHS) claims to be ready to distribute the approved vaccine to high risk groups according to the recommendations of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The NHS's Professor Stephen Powis said in a TV interview on November 19 that while the NHS has been working hard to ensure it is ready to distribute vaccines as soon as the trials are completed, regulators will analyze the data and give a green light for vaccine use.
Meanwhile, University of Oxford global health expert Professor Trudie Lang said that while the recent update is encouraging, it is yet to prove itself on the length of protection it provides and if it can also halt the viral transmission.
Related article: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Seeks FDA Emergency Approval as Operation Warp Speed Aims 20 Million Doses for US
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Written by CJ Robles
