[ad_1]
The first Covid-19 vaccine could be available in Ireland before the end of the year.
Pfizer Ireland and its German partner BioNTech say they could be in a position to deliver about 100 million doses of their experimental vaccine.
Ireland is on the list of countries that could get it if the vaccine first gets approval for emergency use from the US Food and Drug Authorization Agency and then the European Medicines Agency.
These processes should, if all goes well, be completed in a matter of weeks.
However, it is understood that FDA approval will not be sought until after the US presidential election.
The two-dose vaccine, BNT162b2, has been tested in 35,000 people so far, with a total of 39,862 enrolled in the trial program so far.
Paul Reid, Managing Director of Pfizer Ireland, said: “We can have 100 million doses by the end of 2020. If we have an advance purchase agreement with the EU Commission, that is assured. Part of that would include a volume that we think we can make available across Europe.
“We are accelerating the clinical trial program at breakneck speed. We are seeing a speed of recruitment into trials that we have never seen before.”
Talking with him He added: “The FDA will review the data with its own scientists. It will be reviewed by an external panel of independent experts at a public meeting. We will have to demonstrate the quality and consistency of the vaccine.
“We are trying to be as open as possible. We are sharing any conclusive reading data, whether positive or negative, within days after independent scientists see it. The positivity around the vaccine is based on good science so far. “.
With Pfizer, which has a huge plant in Cork, emerging as a leader in the search for a viable vaccine, the company could generate billions.
According to Fiercepharma.com, SVB Leerink analysts estimate that the vaccine “will peak in sales of $ 3.5 billion next year before stabilizing at approximately $ 1.4 billion a year after that.”
They believe that those who get vaccinated will need to get vaccinated every two years “to maintain protective immunity.”
They believe there will be acceptance of the vaccine by “about 80%” of healthcare workers and high-risk adults, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
SVB Leerink also estimates that the price of the vaccine will be $ 30 per dose in the United States and $ 23 abroad.
Two other drug manufacturers have announced the resumption of testing in the United States of their Covid-19 vaccine candidates.
Testing of AstraZeneca’s candidate vaccine had been halted since early September, while Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine study was halted early last week. Each company had a study volunteer develop a serious health problem that required a review of safety data.
The two coronavirus vaccines are among several candidates in end-stage testing, the last step before seeking regulatory approval.
Drug makers said they got the go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday to restart testing in the United States.
[ad_2]