(Photo: National Cancer Institute/Unsplash)
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said Monday that it’s coronavirus two-dose vaccine trial was 90% effective in preventing the virus in uninfected people.
Early data looked at 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the nearly 44,000 participants who received the two-dose vaccine or a placebo. The vaccine protected them for 28 days after the first dose and seven after the second dose, Pfizer said, according to CNN.
The drug company will request authorization from the Food and Drug Administration by the end of the month for emergency use of the vaccine.
“With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing additional efficacy and safety data generated from thousands of participants in the coming weeks.”
Pfizer estimates it’ll have enough doses for 15 to 20 million people by the end of the year.
More than 1.2 million people have died from the coronavirus pandemic.