Hopes are rising that an effective Covid-19 vaccine is on the way after Pfizer and BioNTech announce their vaccine is more than 90% effective.
The news comes after an interim analysis found that the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease among trial volunteers who had no evidence of prior Covid-19 infection.
The results have been hailed as a critical milestone that is beyond the expectations of experts around the world.
Pfizer’s announcement indicates the company is on track to ask the FDA in the US for emergency authorisation of their two-dose vaccine later this month.
“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.
“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.”