Pharmacist Pfizer became the second pharmacist on Monday to announce that phase 3 testing of a vaccine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus had begun.
CNBC reported that the company, along with German biotech company BioNTech, announced the start of human trials with 30,000 patients in 39 US states and in other parts of the world.
“Many steps have been taken towards this important milestone and we would like to thank everyone involved for their extraordinary commitment,” said Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, according to CNBC.
The COVID-19 trials, he added, reflect the company’s “primary goal of bringing a well-tolerated and highly effective vaccine to market as quickly as possible, while continuing to evaluate our other vaccine candidates as part of a differentiated COVID- 19 portfolio of vaccines. “
The two companies received nearly $ 2 billion in funding from the United States government for the development and production of the vaccine under Operation Warp Speed, a partnership between several of the top health authorities in the United States, including the Department. Health and Human Services (HHS).
News of Pfizer and BioNTech’s decision to start human trials closely follows the announcement early Monday of the launch of phase 3 trials of a vaccine developed by drug maker Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. . That study will also enroll about 30,000 people.
According to the World Health Organization, around 25 coronavirus vaccines are in the clinical trial phase worldwide. The coronavirus pandemic has so far infected more than 4.2 million Americans and more than 16 million worldwide.
.
