Pfizer and BioNTech released the first clinical data on their experimental COVID-19 vaccine July 1, showing it created an immune response in healthy patients, STAT reported.
The data was released on MedRXiv, a preprint server for health sciences, and has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.
In the trial, Pfizer randomly assigned 45 patients to get one of three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or a placebo. Patients were either given a 10 microgram, 30 microgram or 100 microgram dose, STAT reported. Those receiving the 100 microgram dose were only given it once, while those receiving the lower doses were given two injections three weeks apart.
The 100 microgram dose caused fevers in half of patients. More than half of patients who received either the 10 microgram or 30 microgram dose reported some kind of adverse event, including fever and sleep disturbances, according to STAT. None of the side effects were considered serious.
The vaccine generated antibodies against the coronavirus, with the lower dose vaccines generating higher antibody levels than one dose of the 100 microgram vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech are testing four different versions of the vaccine, but only one will advance to larger studies, according to STAT.
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