Covid-19 vaccine update: Pfizer announces 95% efficacy, Spain authorises phase 3 trial of Janssen’s candidate

Officials in the United States have said freezers required to store Covid-19 vaccines, once approved, are in place at health facilities that will administer initial doses.

With the announcement by several firms developing potential vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on the efficacy of their respective candidates, hopes that a shot would soon be available soon to treat the infection have been rekindled. The arrival of a Covid-19 vaccine, however, might still take some time. This is because while the majority of these vaccine candidates are yet to complete the trial phase, those that have completed trials are yet to be approved for use by health regulators.

Syringes are seen in front of displayed Biontech and Pfizer logos in this illustration taken November 10, 2020 (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

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In the latest update on the Covid-19 vaccine development front, American drugmaker Pfizer Inc on Wednesday announced its candidate was found to be 95% effective. The announcement came on a day the United States became the first country to cross the 250,000 Covid-19 death mark.

Here are the latest updates on the development of a vaccine for Covid-19:

1. Pfizer, which is developing a vaccine in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech SE, said the -candidate- BNT162b2-was found to be 95% effective in the final analysis of its phase 3 trial. Pfizer said there had been 170 cases of Covid-19 in its trial on more than 43,000 volunteers, adding that it would apply for emergency use authorisation (EUA) within days. Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), pointed out last week that storing the Pfizer vaccine will be a huge challenge for India as it needs to be stored and transported at minus 70 degree Celsius.

2. Spain has authorised phase 3 trials of the vaccine being developed by Johnson and Johnson-owned Janssen Pharmaceutica. This is the first vaccine candidate which will enter phase 3 trials in the country. The trials will be conducted in nine hospitals; 20% of the participants will be under 40 years old and 30% above 60 years old. Janssen, whose vaccine candidate is called Ad26.COV2-S, announced late September the start of phase 3 trials of its candidate.

3. Even as the race to find a Covid-19 vaccine continues, US health officials on Wednesday said freezers required to store vaccines, once approved, are in place at health facilities that are preparing to administer initial doses. The US government will have 40 million doses, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, by the end of December should vaccines being developed by Pfizer and Moderna Inc get approval for emergency use, officials said.