COVID-19: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine deliveries could start by this month, if 'all goes well'

In a good news, BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin on Wednesday (November 18) said that deliveries of coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer could come as early as Christmas this year, if 'all goes well'.

"If all goes well I could imagine that we gain approval (from US FDA) in the second half of December and start deliveries before Christmas, but really only if all goes positively,” he told Reuters TV.

Sahin added that the US Food and Drug Administration could grant emergency-use of the vaccine in December and the EU will give conditional approval in the second half of December.

Sahin made the announcement hours after Pfizer said on Wednesday said that their COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown 95 per cent efficacy in the late-stage trial.

Read: COVID-19: Centre makes big announcement over procurement of Pfizer vaccine

According to Pfizer, the analysis of the data indicates a vaccine efficacy rate of 95% in participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (first primary objective) and also in participants with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (second primary objective), in each case measured from 7 days after the second dose. 

"The first primary objective analysis is based on 170 cases of COVID-19, as specified in the study protocol, of which 162 cases of COVID-19 were observed in the placebo group versus 8 cases in the BNT162b2 group. Efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics. The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94%," said Pfizer.

BREAKING: We are proud to announce, along with @BioNTech_Group, that the Phase 3 study of our #COVID19 vaccine candidate has met all primary efficacy endpoints. — Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) November 18, 2020

There were 10 severe cases of COVID-19 observed in the trial, with nine of the cases occurring in the placebo group and one in the BNT162b2 vaccinated group.