Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine more than 90% effective in early analysis

An independent data monitoring committee analyzed the early data and found that the contrast in caseloads between participants who were given the vaccine and those who were given a placebo “indicates a vaccine efficacy rate above 90%, at 7 days after the second dose,” according to the press release.

“This means that protection is achieved 28 days after the initiation of the vaccination, which consists of a 2-dose schedule,” the release added. “As the study continues, the final vaccine efficacy percentage may vary. The DMC has not reported any serious safety concerns and recommends that the study continue to collect additional safety and efficacy data as planned. The data will be discussed with regulatory authorities worldwide.”

In their announcement, Pfizer and BioNTech said they will seek an emergency use authorization, or an EUA, from the Food and Drug Administration after they report additional safety data from the second dose of the vaccination. They expect to have that data by the third week of November.

The phase 3 clinical trial has involved more than 43,000 participants, nearly 39,000 of whom have already received the second dose of the vaccine.

The two drug companies’ mRNA-based vaccine showed early promise in July, when the vaccine was shown to be safe in human trials. They found that two rounds of smaller doses led participants to develop more coronavirus antibodies than taking a single higher-dose vaccine. Following those early results, Pfizer and BioNTech were awarded a $1.95 billion contract from the federal government to produce 100 million doses of the vaccine as soon as it is proven to be safe and effective. The contract was part of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine initiative.

Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Bourla said Pfizer has already begun manufacturing vaccines ahead of an EUA. “We believe we should be able to have up to 50 million [doses] this year, 1.3 billion next year,” he said.

“Given how effective this vaccine is … we are also looking right now to see if there are other ways thinking out of the box to increase even further the manufacturing capacity,” Bourla added.

Following the drug companies’ announcement, stock market futures surged. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is expected to open upward of 1,400 points higher than Friday’s close, according to CNBC.

President Trump cheered the announcement on Twitter, saying that the results were “such great news.”

“Stock market up big, vaccine coming soon,” Trump tweeted. “Report 90% effective. Such great news!”

However, there is one corner of the market that has not enjoyed the same premarket surge following Pfizer’s announcement. Zoom stocks and other “stay-at-home” stocks fell as much as 15%, CNBC reported. Zoom stock is still up more than 600% on the year.