Pfizer reports encouraging early coronavirus vaccine data
Source: Washington Post
In a small trial, an experimental vaccine triggered immune responses similar to those in recovered patients
An experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech triggered stronger immune responses in recipients than those seen in people naturally recovering from an infection in a small study published online Wednesday.
The work has not yet been peer-reviewed, and it is still unclear what level of immune response will protect a person from getting sick. But outside scientists praised the company for publishing the data on 45 people, and said the results support moving to a larger clinical trial to test whether the vaccine is safe and effective.
“It’s the first positive data I’ve seen coming out of Operation Warp Speed,” said Peter Jay Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, referring to the U.S. government effort to speed up the development, testing and production of multiple coronavirus vaccines. “I’m really happy Pfizer took the initiative to publish it, whereas the others haven’t. I think we need to see more of this.”
The 45 participants were randomly assigned to receive injections of one of three different dose levels of the experimental vaccine, or a placebo. Three weeks after the initial shot, they received a second one.
Hotez said the company shared key data showing the boost in people’s blood levels of antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus after the second shot was given. Those virus-fighting antibodies increased to levels greater than those seen in the blood plasma of patients who have recovered from covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/07/01/pfizer-reports-encouraging-early-covid-19-vaccine-data/
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