There are a few pieces of good news that can be derived from Pfizer's Nov. 9 announcement that interim analysis of its COVID-19 vaccine trial revealed the candidate can prevent more than 90 percent of infections, healthcare officials say.
Four promising details:
- All of the drugmakers working with Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's task force to develop COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, target the same spike protein that Pfizer's vaccine does, so there will likely be multiple effective vaccines, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told STAT.
- If Pfizer's vaccine candidate wins FDA approval, it will be the first vaccine on the market that uses an mRNA platform. The success of this platform is promising because vaccines that use it can be designed and manufactured rapidly, Dr. Fauci told STAT.
- Pfizer's vaccine is more effective than experts thought, exhibiting protection from COVID-19 in more than 90 percent of trial participants; the FDA requires only 50 percent efficacy to be cleared for use.
- Moncef Slaoui, PhD, the head of Operation Warp Speed, told STAT Pfizer is working to improve the storage requirements for its vaccine candidate, as it currently needs to be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.