Some of the details of the study from Pfizer and BioNTech
- Study enrolled 43,538 participants and had no safety concerns
- 94 participants contracted covid-19
- Vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90% effective
- Trial will continue until 164 confirmed cases
- News release
Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, said this was the most important medical discovery in 100 years. I’m not going to be challenge that statement but given the market’s reaction, it’s certainly the most important medical news in a long time.
“Today is a great day for science and humanity. The first set of results from our Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent COVID-19,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO. “We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen. 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. We look forward to sharing additional efficacy and safety data generated from thousands of participants in the coming weeks.”
The math of the study is simple: 94 cases in trial participants, about 9 of the vaccine recipients got covid-19, about 85 placebo recipients got it. That’s tough math to argue against.
Meanwhile, the vaccine news keeps on coming with Novavax saying its covid vaccine has gotten the FDA’s fast track designation.