Switzerland reviews Pfizer Biontech vaccine: cantons demand fines for Covid sinners

7.26 am.: Lonza will manufacture candidate vaccine

When looking for a vaccine against the coronavirus, Lonza also reports the news: The Basel pharmaceutical company will produce a possible vaccine for the US group Altimmune. This is the Adcovid drug, which is administered once through a nasal spray.

Altimmune expects to bring the vaccine to market in 2021, both companies announced Tuesday. A clinical study will be launched in the last quarter of 2020, the results of which should be available in the first quarter of 2021.

Altimmune, based in the state of Maryland, hopes the vaccine can protect people from Covid-19 for up to a year or more. Furthermore, the vaccine must be able to be transported without ensuring a cold chain.

Lonza is already a Moderna vaccine manufacturing partner. The federal government had already signed a contract with Moderna in August for the purchase of 4.5 million doses of vaccines.

7.10 am.: The cantons want to return to the bus system

In spring, the police could impose a fine for violations of Corona’s measures. Since the “extraordinary situation” no longer applies, this is no longer possible: sanctions can only be imposed by filing a criminal complaint.

The cantons would like to be able to redistribute the fines: “For enforcement, it is important that minor infractions can be punished in the administrative fine procedure,” wrote the cantonal health directors conference (GDK) in a statement to the Federal Council that was available to “Blick”.

GDK general secretary Michael Jordi told the newspaper that one would not want to distribute the buses in rows: “Not everyone who does not wear a mask should be fined immediately,” says Jordi. “With the bus option, however, the police could exert measured pressure and convince those affected in conversation that they would abide by the rules.”

The Federal Office of Public Health notes that a return to the fine regime would first require an amendment to the Fines Law Ordinance: “This is not planned at this time.”

6.14am.: Swissmedic is testing the Pfizer Biontech vaccine

The Swiss approval authority Swissmedic is already examining the Covid-19 candidate vaccine with the strange name “BNT162 b2,” which made headlines on Monday and triggered price spikes on stock exchanges. The developers, the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German immunotherapy specialist Biontech, submitted an application in Switzerland. “I even think we can issue an authorization faster than in 100 days,” says Swissmedic deputy director Philippe Girard in an interview with the “Tages-Anzeiger.” The prerequisite is that all data is available. According to Girard, applicants only submit them gradually using the fast track procedure.

The deputy head of Swissmedic said this year’s approval would be unthinkable, but would be possible in early 2021. Switzerland has not placed any pre-orders for the Pfizer Biontech product in development, but has booked potential vaccines from two other companies. According to the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the fight for distribution is likely to intensify.

Biontech and Pfizer were the first Western manufacturers to publish promising results, but limited in the scope of details, on Monday. Consequently, your vaccine offers more than 90 percent protection against Covid-19. The companies want to apply for emergency approval from the FDA starting next week.

5:30 am: FDA grants emergency approval for treatment

The US health authority FDA allows the method developed by the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to treat Covid-19 patients with antibodies as an emergency application. The FDA announced Monday night.

The approval is based on clinical studies that have shown that treatment with the agent “Bamlanivimab” reduces the need for hospitalization for patients with Covid-19. It can be used to treat mild to moderate illnesses in adults and children over twelve years of age.

5 am: Trump complains about timing of vaccine news

Acting President Donald Trump described the announcement of promising results by the makers of a corona vaccine a few days after the US election as politically motivated. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer “did not have the courage” to announce the good news before the election, criticized Trump on Monday night (local time) on Twitter. The American company is working on the vaccine with the German company Biontech.

Trump also criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of his administration, which handles approval in his tweet. The FDA should have announced the results earlier, he complained. “Not for political reasons, but to save lives,” Trump wrote. During the election campaign, he had repeatedly promised there would be good news about vaccines before the vote, and he was apparently expecting a political tailwind.

“The FDA and the Democrats didn’t want me to have a successful vaccine before the election, so it came out five days later,” Trump wrote on Twitter. His administration’s FDA is headed by Stephen Hahn, whom the Republican Trump himself appointed.

4 a.m.: Shortly before the application of the vaccine: Biontech presents figures

Shortly after the release of encouraging interim results on its corona vaccine, Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech today presents third-quarter figures. Additionally, Biontech wants to give “information on operational progress” in a conference call at 2 pm.

Biontech and the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer were the first Western manufacturers to publish promising results from a vaccine study that is crucial for approval on Monday. Its vaccine offers more than 90 percent protection against Covid-19, the two companies said. No serious side effects were found.

3.31 a.m.: federal experts provide information today

Today in Bern, federal experts will again provide information on the current situation of the pandemic. Last weekend, the number of new infections dropped slightly. More than 17,000 people were infected with the coronavirus in three days. A total of 169 people died from the Covid-19 lung disease. Health Minister Alain Berset, however, warned against excess euphoria. It is premature to see any trend. The situation is still serious. The situation in hospital intensive care units continues to be of great concern.

2.46 am.: How is Hotelplan beating the pandemic?

The tour operator Hotelplan presented its winter business prospects and forecasts for summer 2021 on Tuesday. It is likely that the pandemic has continued to have deep marks in international business. Many countries, including Germany and France, still have strict travel restrictions. On the other hand, the Swiss are likely to book lively holidays in Switzerland, especially with a view to the upcoming ski season. The tourism crisis due to the pandemic is likely to be prolonged and also affect summer business in 2021. Above all, cross-border tourism is down to earth. A recovery is not expected until 2022 at the earliest.

2 a.m.: Biden wins and the vaccine pushes Dow to a record

Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election and a possible breakthrough in the search for a coronavirus vaccine set new records on US stock exchanges earlier in the week. The leading Dow Jones Industrial Index and the market-wide S&P 500 shot to highs in the first few minutes of trading on Monday. Stocks that had suffered especially from the pandemic saw pyrotechnic prices.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial posted a gain of 2.95 percent to 29,157.97 points. The leading index had barely missed the jump above the 30,000 mark. Before regular trading, the Dow was temporarily indexed above this level. The S&P 500 was up 1.17 percent to 3,550.50 points. However, the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 lagged notably 2.16 percent to 11,830.39 points.

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