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SEDAN :
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE obtained approval for the first human clinical trials of a possible coronavirus vaccine in Germany, entering a worldwide race to develop a defense against the pandemic.
Regulators have given the go-ahead to test the companies’ proposed vaccine on 200 healthy people ages 18 to 55 in a first stage, and on additional high-risk candidates in a second stage, according to a statement on Wednesday. Shares of Mainz-based BioNTech rose as much as 63% in Frankfurt.
The companies said they hope to get approval for testing in the US. USA Soon. Pfizer shares rose 3.6% in premarket trading.
“It is a good sign that the development of vaccines in Germany is at a stage where we can start with the first trials,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told journalists in Berlin. “At the same time, it’s important to remember that it will take months before a vaccine is fully tested and can be available.”
As coronavirus cases worldwide exceed 2.5 million, governments, investors and the public are very interested in the race to administer vaccines that can prevent future infections. According to the World Health Organization, dozens of candidates are being developed in countries from the United States. USA To China, with at least three in human testing. They are from CanSino Biologics Inc. and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology; Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc .; and Moderna Inc. together with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Human trials of a possible vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Oxford will start on Thursday, according to the UK government.
BioNTech also hopes to test its vaccine program in China, where it is collaborating with Fosun Pharma. The companies did not say when a vaccine might be available.
