SUMMARY:
BioNTech expects to begin phase three trials, at the end of July. Gilead Sciences also announced that test results on remdesivir, the only approved treatment for COVID-19, shows a reduction in mortality in 62 percent of extremely sick patients. Optimism from a potential vaccine and the success of remdesivir also resulted in spike in the US stock market.
Abridged. The CEO of the German company BioNTech told The Hill that he expects the coronavirus vaccine the company is developing in partnership with Pfizer to be ready for approval by December.
BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said several hundred million doses could be produced even before approval and up to 1.2 billion by the end of 2021. He also predicted that it will be about a decade until the world achieves sufficient immunity. Sahin said BioNTech expects to begin the final stage of the testing process, known as phase three trials, at the end of the month.
Moderna, a company working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is set to begin the phase three testing stage this month as well. AstraZeneca PLC, a company developing a vaccine with the University of Oxford, will also enter phase three trials in August.
On Friday, Gilead Sciences also announced test results on remdesivir, the only approved treatment for COVID-19, showing that it helps reduce mortality in 62 percent of extremely sick patients.
Optimism from a potential vaccine and the success of remdesivir resulted in a spike in the US Stock Market.
Source:
Link: https://thehill.com/homenews/news/506827-biontech-ceo-confident-vaccine-will-be-ready-for-regulatory-approval-by-end-of
Author: J. Edward Moreno, Jose.emoreno@thehill.com
Publisher: The Hill
Published: 07/10/2020