COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Pfizer Not Ready to Share Data on Late-Stage Trial, Interim Efficacy Analysis Awaited
In a presentation by the company on Tuesday, Pfizer noted that the interim efficacy analyses of its vaccine candidate is awaited. An independent monitoring group will be assigned to conduct the analyses -- following which the company would release the data on clinical trials before the drug regulators.
Washington, October 27: American pharmaceutical major Pfizer, which is developing a vaccine against COVID-19 in partnership with German drugmaker BioNtech, is not ready yet to release the late-stage trial data. The delay is expected to hurt the chances of a vaccine against coronavirus being rolled out in the United States by end of this year. Combined Vaccine Against COVID-19 and Flu Being Developed by Russian Research Centre.
In a presentation by the company on Tuesday, Pfizer noted that the interim efficacy analyses of its vaccine candidate is awaited. An independent monitoring group will be assigned to conduct the analyses -- following which the company would release the data on clinical trials before the drug regulators.
Without an efficacy analysis, the trial data would not allow the regulators to draw a positive of negative conclusion related to the vaccine, Healthcare investor Brad Loncar was reported as saying by Reuters.
"I think this means that the overall infection rate is a lot lower than Pfizer initially estimated...So the trial is just running a little slower than they thought," Loncar said.
Pfizer chief executive officer Albert Bourla had, in the past month, claimed that the drugmaker could release the data by end of October, which would catalyse the pace for its approval. After the submission of trial data, the company could seek emergency use authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
President Donald Trump, while speaking to Fox News last month, had expressed the possibility of Pfizer emerging as the first vaccine maker in the US. In his campaign speeches, Trump has reiterated the possibility of a vaccine being launched before 2020 ends. He, however, also noted that America is turning the battle against the virus "even without a vaccine".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2020 08:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).