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Smiles of hope for everyone, who is being tested for the coronavirus and after so many months of effort has been waiting for good news, Pfizer has partnered with Biontech, for the vaccine that will rid the world of the deadly virus once and for all . .
Of course, we are not there yet, but today’s announcements of efficiencies reaching 90% open a very large “window” that we are one step closer to the end of our planet’s battle with the pandemic, than made it go up and down from one moment to another.
“It’s a wonderful day for science and humanity.” When you realize that your vaccine is 90% effective, it’s amazing, “said Greek, Pfizer President and CEO Albertos Bourlas, spreading a smile.
In fact, the reactions of scientists are very positive, with Elias Mosialos speaking of “impressive news” and describing 90% of its effectiveness as unexpected, since “more experts expected 50%”.
For his part, Gikas Majorkinis spoke about “the light in the tunnel” during today’s briefing, while he himself explained that this is very encouraging news.
How is Greece preparing for the vaccine?
The government wants to be ready when vaccines arrive in our country.
According to information from MEGA, this is the reason why in the last 24 hours more than 100 vaccination centers have started to be built in Greece.
In practice, this means that we won’t be able to get it on our own, like flu vaccines.
The way this vaccine is produced, distributed and administered is very different from what we know so far.
It will not be sold in pharmacies, it will not be available, because it simply cannot be stored there, it needs special refrigerators.
According to the information received by the government, within the first short period after the holidays, we will begin to receive the first doses of the vaccine, for health and vulnerable groups.
And then, as of Easter, additional quotas will arrive for the general population.
How many quotas will the EU and US accept?
According to Bloomberg, the United States and Europe are ready to receive the first doses of the experimental vaccine. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are now working to accelerate safety and efficacy, as the vaccine has been shown to be more than 90% effective in the first 94 people infected with coronavirus and developed at least one symptom, the companies said. . Monday.
Pfizer and BioNTech have already reached an agreement for 100 million installments with the US and have doubled with the EU, with the option to buy an additional 100 million.
“We need to find a way to distribute it fairly,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said in an interview. While approval schedules are up to local regulators, there is no reason for one to significantly delay the other, Sahin said.
Offers for the vaccine
- EU: 200 million installments (option: 100 million)
- Japan: 120 million installments
- UNITED STATES: 100 million installments (option: 500 million)
- United Kingdom: 30 million installments
Taunts: We will have up to 50 million doses of vaccines this year and 1.3 billion next
Optimism that Pfizer could provide 50 million doses of coronavirus vaccine this year and 1.3 billion doses this year was expressed by Pharmaceutical Industry CEO Albert Bourlas, just hours after the announcement that the vaccine remains 90% effective. which brought smiles of hope to the entire planet.
In an interview with CNN, Mr. Burlas explained that “we believe that we are in a good position to have up to 50 million doses worldwide this year and in a very good position to have 1.3 billion doses worldwide on next year”.
He added that this is the greatest medical achievement that has taken place in the last hundred years. “It’s great that it comes at a time when people need it the most. Right now, in the United States alone we have 100,000 COVID-19 victims, 1,000 deaths every day. I can’t count how many people lose their jobs every day. So which is a very important day for humanity. “
He also said that there will be two separate vaccine production lines. One in the United States, which will be primarily for Americans, and one in Europe, which will be used to produce vaccines for the rest of the world.
“We have already signed contracts with many governments around the world and orders have been placed,” he concluded, referring to one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.
What the scientists say
Elias Mosialos, Professor of Health Policy at the London School of Economics, was optimistic about the coronavirus vaccine announced today by Germany’s Pfizer and BioNech.
Speaking to ERT’s main bulletin, Mosialos emphasized that 90% effectiveness is unexpected as most experts expected 50%, but added that we do not know if this vaccine will be effective in severe cases.
As for the vaccine data will be known before the end of the year when Pfizer will announce the final results.
Mosialos also stressed that we must wait to see the duration of the immunity of the vaccine as well as the possibility, in addition to protecting ourselves, of preventing the transmission of the virus from those who have done it and probably will. exposed to the coronavirus.
Regarding when the vaccine will be available in Greece, he said he believes that early in the new year we will start taking hundreds of thousands of doses initially for medical personnel and the most vulnerable groups.
“If we protect vulnerable groups immediately afterwards, the pressure on the health system begins to ease,” Mosialos stressed.
Finally, he mentioned that by the end of the year we will have the results of Moderna and AstraZeneca. Regarding the second confinement that has been in force in the country since last Saturday, he affirmed that its effectiveness will be judged by the reduction of pressure from the NSS.
Who is the Greek CEO of Pfizer that kept the whole planet waiting?
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla of Thessaloniki has achieved “miracles” in the field of research and development of innovative therapies in the fields of oncology, immunology, rare diseases, vaccines and general medicine.
He was born 60 years ago in Thessaloniki and studied veterinary medicine at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, from which he graduated in 1986.
He completed his doctoral thesis in 1991 at the same School, in the field of Reproductive Biotechnology, under the direction of the late Professor Pavlos Tsakalov and then, in 1993, he started working at Pfizer Hellas, in Athens, which had just opened offices in the capital. .
He held positions of increasing responsibility throughout Europe before moving to Pfizer’s headquarters in New York in 2001. From there, Albert assumed leadership roles in the Animal Health Division, including that of Director of Marketing, USA. 2004, Vice President and Marketing of New Products (2004-2006) and President of Animal Health Europe, Africa and the Middle East (2006-2009). In 2009, he assumed additional responsibilities for Asia and the Pacific.
Analytically, after his post in Greece, in 1996 he moved to Brussels, taking his first steps on the international business scene. In 2001 he moved to the United States, where he assumed the position of Marketing Director, while in 2006 he returned to Europe to assume the position of President of the European Section of the Paris-based company, while later (2009) markets they passed under his supervision. Asia, Africa and the Pacific.
In 2010 he returned to New York to lead the Department of Standard Products, in 2014 he became Chairman of the Department of Oncology Products and Vaccines, and two years later he was appointed Head of Pfizer Innovative Products in Oncology, Immunology, Rare Diseases, Vaccines and.
In 2018, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer and a member of the company’s Board of Directors, while he was Chairman of the Research Portfolio Priorities Committee, the longest-standing executive committee, which distributes funds to various Pfizer research projects. In fact, in the same year, the company provided assistance to 800 million patients thanks to its medicines, while since January 1, 2019, it has led the pharmaceutical giant from the position of CEO.
In 2020, Institutional Investor magazine named him Senior Managing Director of Pharmaceuticals America. He is a member of the executive committee of The Partnership for New York City, a director of various boards (Pfizer, Inc., The Pfizer Foundation, PhRMA, and Catalyst), and a trustee of the United States Council on International Business. In addition, Mr. Burlas is a member of the Business Roundtable and the Business Council.
According to the company’s website, Albert Bourlas, Pfizer president and CEO, leads Pfizer with “life-changing innovations for patients, with an emphasis on promoting the scientific and commercial innovation needed to transform human health.” ».
It should be noted that about a year ago he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Department of Medicine of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, while in his place of origin the pharmaceutical industry chose to create a digital innovation center
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