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Initial human clinical trials demonstrate the potential for corona vaccine from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to yield positive results.
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Pfizer is working with the German biotech company BioNTech on a corona vaccine. The two conducted the first clinical trials on 45 patients, and the results look positive, according to a message on the medical website MedRXiv.
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Of the 45 patients, 36 received the experimental vaccine, the dose ranging from 20 to 100 micrograms. Nine others had to do with a placebo. Each subject who received the vaccine was found to have produced antibodies against the virus after 28 days.
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Fever as a side effect
More than half of the patients who received the drug for the second time did show fever or insomnia. However, according to the researchers, no side effect is serious. Vaccine administration did not result in hospitalization and was not life threatening.
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“We have a long way to go and we are testing other patients,” said Philippe Dormitzer, Pfizer’s medical officer for vaccines. “What we can say is that we currently have a potential candidate vaccine that improves immunity and is acceptable in terms of safety.”
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Neutralize virus
Pfizer and BioNTech’s experimental vaccine generates antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Some antibodies appear to neutralize the virus, that is, they prevent the virus from continuing to function. The number of antibodies that neutralize the virus is 1.8 to 2.8 times higher, thanks to the vaccine, than in recovered corona patients.
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Whether an even higher level of antibodies will lead to complete immunity to the virus is still uncertain. To prove that, Pfizer needs to conduct more extensive studies. Pfizer and his German partner plan to start those studies this summer, especially in the US. They are currently testing four different versions of the vaccine, but only one will be tested in more extensive studies.
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Tests in full swing
New studies will also pay more attention to diversity. For example, the recent study did not include pregnant women. No information was provided on ethnic diversity, but the report indicates that the following tests should be applied to a more diverse group of subjects.
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Pfizer and BioNTech have one of 14 corona vaccines that are currently being tested on humans. AstraZeneca and Moderna are also busy with this, while other pharma giants such as Sanofi, Merck and Johnson & Johnson will soon start testing on humans. 178 vaccines are under development worldwide.
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Puurs in happy expectation
The development of the vaccine at Pfizer and BioNTech is also important for our country. The two hope to be able to produce millions of doses by the end of this year. These could be produced at the Pfizer site in Puurs, among others, at four other production sites in the US.
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