Despite the recent surge of COVID-19 cases across the United States, one glimmer of light brings us hope that we will soon see the end of this devastating pandemic.
Pfizer is a New York-based Big Pharma company known for their blockbuster drugs, including Advil and Neosporin. They have the largest privately financed research organization and their continuous research, development and long-term planning have led to their success in the pharmaceutical industry.
On the week of November 9th, Pfizer announced positive early results regarding their COVID-19 candidate vaccine, BNT162b2, reporting that it had achieved success in its first interim analysis from the phase 3 study conducted by an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC). They reported that their candidate vaccine is more than 90% effective in participants without evidence of prior COVID infection.
With the new mRNA technology Pfizer is using in their vaccine, Fieldston Biology teacher Katherine Kartheiser explained how it works: “With the mRNA vaccine, you are injecting something that will produce a bunch of the protein (antigen) of interest for only a limited time (remember that mRNA is the transcript with the code that is used to make proteins). The idea is that you get sufficient and sustained exposure to the antigen produced this way. The mRNA itself will be degraded over time and is completely incapable of causing infection itself. The protein produced on its own is also something that won’t cause your cells damage, but something that will be recognized as foreign and that should be specific to the virus.”
Pfizer has distributed its candidate vaccine to approximately 150 clinical trial sites in six countries, including 39 states in the U.S. They recognized the significance of diversity in their participants for their testing process and reported that 42% of their trial participants came from diverse backgrounds. About 45% of all their participants were between 56 and 85 years old. The case was split into two groups: individuals that were vaccinated and individuals that received the placebo. When comparing the two groups, the case showed that the candidate vaccine was 90% effective. The final vaccine efficacy percentage is supposed to vary as the study continues.
Pfizer’s next step will be to evaluate the vaccine candidate’s protection against COVID-19 in patients who have had prior exposure and prevention against the COVID-19 disease. In addition, they will evaluate efficacy based on cases following 14 days after the second dose. The results of this phase will allow for cross-trial learnings and provide new data for other pharmaceutical companies to work with as they all strive towards the development of a successful COVID-19 vaccine. They will also have to work out logistical barriers, including their freezer storage requirements and dosage amounts.
The news of a step towards the return of normal life has buoyed the stock market. Since the announcement of the candidate vaccine’s success, many stocks have surged. The S&P 500 increased 1.2% on Monday, and shares of companies that benefit the most from the return of normal activities, such as airlines and consumer goods, have gone up dramatically.
It is worth noting that Pfizer’s findings are still preliminary. There are still many unknowns about long term effects and the final rate of effectiveness. However, Pfizer’s findings bring us hope during a time of darkness.
Feeling the excitement of a possible end to the pandemic, Fieldston Chemistry teacher Dr. Paulianda Jones stated, “I am very happy and encouraged by both of the new vaccines. I can only imagine the amount of work and time scientists at Pfizer and Moderna put into developing these vaccines. The effectiveness for both vaccines falls in the 90% range but time will tell once more data has been collected. Science for the win!”
The success of Pfizer’s candidate vaccine marks a milestone on our path towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrates how innovation, science, and global collaborative efforts can solve even the hardest of problems.
Sources:
Borowiec, B. G. (2020, November 9). How does Pfizer’s “90% effective” COVID-19 vaccine work? Massive Science. https://massivesci.com/notes/pfizer-covid-vaccine-90-percent-effective-mrna-rna-bnt162b2/
Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 Achieved Success in First Interim Analysis from Phase 3 Study | Pfizer. (2020). Pfizer.com. https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against
Schmidt, C. (2020, November 12). Pfizer’s Early Results Bode Well for a COVID Vaccine Approval This Year. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pfizers-early-results-bode-well-for-a-covid-vaccine-approval-this-year/
