In the battle against Covid-19, a vaccine is essential. Today, it seems, we may have finally found a good candidate. A vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to prevent more than 90% of infections, the same reports Pfizer .
“Today is a great day for science and humanity. The first set of results from our Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study provides initial evidence of our vaccine's ability to prevent COVID-19,” says Dr. Albert Bourla, president and CEO of Pfizer.
The results were obtained from an interim analysis that took place after 94 participants, separated between those who received a placebo and those who were vaccinated, they contracted the virus. However, the study will not be completed until at least 164 cases have been verified and evaluated.
Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19: better than expected, but curb enthusiasm
The news is extremely promising, due to this 90% effectiveness. The efficacy of the first vaccines was expected to be in a much lower range, 60% to 70%. “The first interim analysis of our global Phase 3 study provides evidence that a vaccine can effectively prevent COVID-19. This is a win for innovation, science and a global collaborative effort,” Prof. echoes Pfizer. Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of BioNTech.
However, for now, many details are missing about the vaccine's effectiveness, such as how it works in subgroups and whether it prevents serious complications. Analyzes that could provide that data have yet to be conducted.
The good news is that the study's data monitoring committee has not yet identified any serious safety concerns. For now, Pfizer has to get it two months of follow-up safety data to obtain an emergency authorization from US regulators.
