Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in first analysis, company reports

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

A front-runner coronavirus vaccine developed by drug giant Pfizer and German biotechnology firm BioNTech was more than 90 percent effective at protecting people compared with a placebo saline shot, according to an interim analysis by an independent data monitoring committee that met Sunday.

The early look at the ongoing trial provides a decisive initial glimpse of the real-world performance of one of the four coronavirus vaccines in the last stages of testing in the United States. It is the strongest signal yet that the unprecedented quest to develop a vaccine that could help bring the pandemic to an end might succeed, breaking every scientific speed record.

“I would say it’s a historical moment. Something like this has never happened before. First of all, the world was faced with such a terrible situation, the pandemic, and being able in such a short time to go through what usually takes many years,” Kathrin Jansen, head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, said in an interview. “Hearing that at the interim analysis we are over 90 percent effective — it was almost stunning to hear.”

In Pfizer’s 44,000-person trial, there have so far been 94 cases of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, in people who were not previously infected. Fewer than nine of those cases were among people who received two shots of the vaccine, a strong signal of efficacy. The data is not yet published or peer-reviewed, and the company news release could not be presented to outside experts under the terms of an embargo.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/09/pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-effective/

---

Breaking all over. I expect this will send their stock soaring.

[Sherman A1]

1. Excellent news!

Hopefully we will see the studies continue to produce good results.

[TomCADem]

15. Biden's Comments Are Perfect Tone

Just because there is a promising vaccine does not mean that we are all suddenly immune. First, it has to be approved. Second, the vaccine has distributed. Third, people need to take it.

Interestingly, I wonder if Biden's message of patience might have a velvet rope effect of people demanding access immediately. "You can't tell me to wait!"

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-19-vaccine-90-percent-effective-first-analysis-pfizer-says-n1247075

President-elect Joe Biden said he welcomed the news, which he said he learned Sunday night, but warned it was "important to understand that the end of the battle against Covid-19 is still months away."

Even if "some Americans are vaccinated later this year, it will be many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country," Biden said in a statement. "Today's news does not change this urgent reality. Americans will have to rely on masking, distancing, contact tracing, hand washing, and other measures to keep themselves safe well into next year."

* * *
In spite of the optimism, the news does not mean a vaccine will be immediately available.

Though there have been no serious safety concerns yet, Pfizer also said, the company added that it would not apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization until it had two months worth of safety data, which will likely not come until the third week of November.

[Grins]

19. And Trump is going to say "I told you so."

The news is encouraging. But remember Trump said months ago this would happen right around election day. So the flame wars will start any minute now.

[OhioTim]

27. He Already Did

Trump tweeted it was suspicious. Pfizer wasn't part of the WH push for a vaccine and got no federal money. Sorry Don.

[zanana1]

35. I don't care what Trump said.

If the vaccine will end this terrible scourge, let it be!

[underpants]

2. Good news

✅

[samnsara]

3. its not even peer reviewed yet so a long ways to go...glad its promising.

[CountAllVotes]

34. Five years

You need to study a drug or a vaccine for FIVE YEARS before it can be considered a viable treatment!

They are trying to rush this through to make a fast buck at the expense of human lives!

Talk about FRAUD ... !!!

[LisaL]

4. Wow.

I sure hope it's true. If vaccine works, we can at least have hope that we will eventually return to normal.

[Jon King]

5. Trump's luck continues to run out!

The timing a week too late to help Trump is comical. Next, his family must finally pay for their crimes and bad financial moves.

[ananda]

6. Acc to Sanjay Gupta, if all goes well..

the Pfizer vaccine should be available in December.

And there will be 100 million doses sometime next year.

[LisaL]

7. It takes two doses and needs to be kept at ultra low temperatures.

Figuring out distribution will be difficult.

[Rebl2]

13. Big drawback

to this vaccine.

[greymattermom]

28. I used to have 2 ultralow freezers in my lab.

They run on 220 and aren't much larger than a regular freezer. Each one can hold a huge number of small vials. They could be put on a truck with a generator and transported to sites where injections are already given. This is doable in countries with decent roads.

[JudyM]

43. The pharmacies are gearing up to cover that.

See https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142624513 for more info.

[progree]

8. Dow futures up 1529 (5.42%) S&P 500 Futs up 4.18%, 838 AM ET

https://money.cnn.com/data/premarket/

S&P 500 futures well above the all-time high of 3581 on Sept 2.

Probably DOW too (futures currently 29,733, close to the magical 30,000)

I'm glad these milestones occurred after the election.


ETA - FTSE 100 (England) and DAX (Germany) both up more than 5.6%

In the What's Moving Pre-Market section of the page, three cruise lines are up 23% to 31%.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. WaPo just did a breaking on that

Dow spikes nearly 1,600 points as vaccine news, Biden victory rev up markets

By Taylor Telford
November 9, 2020 at 9:31 a.m. EST


U.S. stocks soared Monday, as promising coronavirus vaccine news and Joe Biden’s White House victory sent investors into a frenzy.

Dow Jones industrial average futures spiked nearly 1,600 points, or 5.6 percent, Monday after drug giant Pfizer and German biotechnology firm BioNTech announced that their vaccine candidate was more than 90 percent effective, compared with a placebo. It is the strongest sign yet that the unprecedented effort, breaking every scientific speed record, to develop a vaccine was within sight.

“I think the 90% success rate in trials is on the high end of street expectations given the 40-60% success for seasonal flu vaccines,” Wayne Wicker, chief investment officer at Vantagepoint Funds, said in an email to The Post. “This is going to give a real boost to a broader range of stocks beyond technology as shown by the outsized gains in the Dow premarket. With greater clarity on both political and health issues, this should provide additional momentum in the short run.”

Biden applauded Pfizer’s breakthrough in a statement Monday, but warned that the end of the battle against Covid-19 is still months away. “Today’s news does not change this urgent reality,” Biden said. “Americans will have to rely on masking, distancing, contact tracing, hand washing and other measures to keep themselves safe well into next year.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/09/stocks-markets-biden-trump-coronavirus/

[IronLionZion]

10. The stock market is ridin with Biden

They also expect some stimulus for average Americans and policies that help consumers to be coming.

[progree]

17. It's been Moscow Mitch that's been blocking any meaningful stimulus amount, so that will

have to change.

[IronLionZion]

18. More than Trump, Mitch is one who I send the worst thoughts and prayers

Dude already looks like a zombie with his purple hands

[progree]

20. What about the purple lips? I haven't seen or heard of them before, or maybe my computer's

colors are suddenly off or something. Looks like he's been eating grape Kool-aid powder straight from the packet.

[IronLionZion]

21. Looks like a blood clotting problem

It would be a real shame if something happened to him and Kentucky's Dem governor appointed a new senator.

[csziggy]

31. There were also bruises on the bridge of his nose where his glasses sit

Speculation at the time was that he had fallen - but he never would admit to it, Stupid since that just lets him in for all sorts of wild theories about what was going on.

Mitch McConnell says his health is fine after photos of bruising on his hands, face

By Jeremy Chisenhall
October 23, 2020 08:22 AM, Updated October 25, 2020 04:29 PM


Bruising and skin discoloration provoked continuing concern Thursday for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health, but he dismissed questions.

The Senate majority leader’s hands and arms showed bruising in photos captured by the Associated Press Tuesday. He also had bruises on his face in a photo taken by Getty Images.

McConnell’s response when asked by Politico if he had any health issues the public didn’t know about: “Of course not.” McConnell didn’t respond when asked if he was being treated by a doctor for any medical conditions, according to multiple reports.

The 78-year-old senator, who is running for re-election against Democrat Amy McGrath, also told reporters Thursday there were “no concerns.” Some medications can make people susceptible to bruising.

More: https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article246658838.html

[JudyM]

44. Same here. His activities need to be investigated in a big way.

Probably not going to happen, of course. We’d settle for his quick demise from any cause. Any.

[IronLionZion]

45. That would be a real shame if something like that happened

and then Kentucky's Dem governor had to appoint a replacement Senator

[JudyM]

46. Yes - such a shame, in fact, that many of us would have to resort to heavy drinking.

[cannabis_flower]

11. That's good news....

I’m in the trial. Either I have the vaccine or I will be one of the first to get it. They said if it was approved all of the study participants that got the placebo will be offered the vaccine for free.

I’m curious though of what they mean by:

“so far been 94 cases of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, in people who were not previously infected. Fewer than nine of those cases were among people who received two shots of the vaccine”

Do they mean 8 or what?

[BumRushDaShow]

14. "Do they mean 8 or what?"

Could be from a preliminary summary document that only reports tabulated and/or graphed "ranges" based on "0 - 9", "10 - 19, 20 - 29" and uses a " < " in the header somewhere.

I.e., " < 9 ", "10 - 19", "20 - 29", etc.

[Boogiemack]

12. Stocks are going crazy! Pence trying hard to make folks believe that this was part of OP Warp Speed

It was not. Pfizer would take no money from our government for research and development of this drug. (Probably because they did not want to have to pay bribes to the Trump administration.).

I hope the media gets the facts straight. Pence is already lying about it.

[Baclava]

16. Not ready for market, but still good news!

Press release for stock bump, don't just read the headlines


"Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in first analysis, company reports"

"The early look at the ongoing trial provides a decisive initial glimpse of the real-world performance of one of the four coronavirus vaccines in the last stages of testing in the United States"

"The data is not yet published or peer-reviewed, and the company news release could not be presented to outside experts"


A few more months of whittling down that last 10%, and should be right on track for Jan 21st. LOL

[BumRushDaShow]

22. They most likely won't be able to "whittle" down that 10%

especially since like the various influenzas, the coronaviruses, including COVID-19, are continually mutating. Even the annual flu shot is doing good if it can be above 50% effective.

Trying to get as high an effectiveness as preliminarily reported for this would still generally help to provide the best outcomes with the more lethal variants of COVID-19 when compared to the influenza As/Bs, which are around 1/10th as lethal.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

29. Yep...

... that was pretty much my first thought upon reading the headline and article(everyone of the "we got a cure", headlines). If there is any improvement or, "cure", it most likely is only temporary, until the next mutation manifests itself.

Being here in Sioux Falls, SD, I just stay home, especially on the weekends when, "all the sick hicks", come in to town. Wear my mask, wash my hands (something I have always done to the point of worrying that I may have an OCD) and distance.

PS: I hate it when the news organizations state the number of cases in a state/locality and how many are, "CURED". No one gets cured from this SARS. There are lifelong complications and damages from it that they are still discovering and no doubt will be discovering.

[ProfessorGAC]

47. Agreed!

I heard a report on flu vaccines a few months back.
The best year on record was 78%. The worst was in the low 30s.
Pretty sure that was the last 25 years, but not positive.

[BumRushDaShow]

48. I think they said that last year's was like 50%

and I know the year before was down into the 40s for B and the 30s for A because they almost totally missed the H1N1 variant that ended up becoming prevalent.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. Sounds Familiar

As I think about it, I think it was Gupta talking about it, or some doctor he was interviewing.
It was probably connected to work on the COVID vaccine.
But, the numbers really stuck in my head.
The best ever for flu was 7 out of 9.

[StarryNite]

23. Looking promising but not ready for prime time just yet.

[DinahMoeHum]

24. Some caveats are in order about this potential breakthrough. . .

https://www.fastcompany.com/90573356/pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-6-things-to-know?partner=feedburner&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feedburner+fastcompany&utm_content=feedburner&cid=eem524:524:s00:11/09/2020_fc&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=Compass&utm_campaign=eem524:524:s00:11/09/2020_fc

The vaccine appears to work in more than 90% of cases

The vaccine requires two doses

We don’t know if the vaccine works on severe COVID-19 cases or how long it will be effective

We don’t know if vaccinated people can still carry the disease

The results have not been peer-reviewed

If approved, most people will be waiting a while to get the vaccine

In short: This is very promising news. But it’s wise to keep expectations and hopes in check until Pfizer can complete its Phase 3 study and the results can be peer-reviewed.
But as William Gruber, Pfizer’s senior vice president of vaccine clinical research and development, told STAT, “I’ve been in vaccine development for 35 years. I’ve seen some really good things. This is extraordinary.” He added, “This really bodes well for us being able to get a handle on the epidemic and get us out of this situation.”

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

30. How long it will be effective...

... great point. Three months? As they have found people who have came down with CV-45 twice, in the three month range after having the first affliction.

[Sancho]

25. Pfizer waited until after the election so they could see who they were dealing with..

...Trump won, they would continue the multi-billion $ deal they already had with MF45 to line the pockets of the rich and milk the government of money and discriminate against Democratic states with distribution.

...if Biden/Harris won they would make a splash to drive up their stock price because they KNOW that Biden will distribute the vaccine fairly and pay a negotiated price and maybe even declare that the drug companies' profits are limited.

[Texin]

26. I'm sure they'll fast track approvals. Then comes the hardest part.

1) Mass production in a consistent and safe manner

2) Mass deployment to the medical providers -- that's worldwide (eventually) BTW, and the deployment will likely be targeted first to hospitals and medical doctors in the largest population centers

3) Willingness of the civilian population to entrust themselves to this vaccine

All of this is a heavy lift.

[usajumpedtheshark]

32. Hopeful news but lacking in any actual evidence that has been rigorously reviewed

The cynic in me says this is a stock pump

[CountAllVotes]

40. +1

n/t

[IronLionZion]

33. Impeccable timing for this to come out after the election

I wonder if they waited to announce so that it wouldn't help Trump

[intrepidity]

38. *If* they deliberately waited, it'd be to remove any suspicion of rushing to meet deadline

Any vaccine news prior to election was met with deep suspicion about how accurate it was, imho

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

36. Good news

Even the dim son had to weigh in

Link to tweet

?s=20

[intrepidity]

39. Reply: "Would you have said that if they released it a week ago?"

I hope someone forces him to answer that.

[bucolic_frolic]

37. Pfizer up 8%, what really jumped was leveraged oils

And I have to wonder if this news is overly optimistic. Did they, or could they, pick a pool of the very vulnerable - high risk patients?

[benld74]

41. 60 Minutes had this on last night

Military who will be doing the distribution spoke towards this.

LOW temperatures needed to store, dry ice cold,
logistics sounded logical
military person speaking sounded too military IMHOP. Group WILL get the job done!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

42. Pfizer CEO: Our vaccine timing had nothing to do with politics

Pfizer's encouraging news about the effectiveness of its Covid-19 vaccine came nearly a week after Election Day. But Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says the timing had nothing to do with politics.

In an interview with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, Bourla said he first learned about the results of the trial Sunday and he has yet to see the data, throwing cold water on the idea that there was any political motivation behind releasing the news after voters in the United States chose their candidate for president.

Pfizer took several interim looks at the data during its vaccine trial, but it did not have enough infections in its test group to gain any meaningful data -- until Sunday, Gupta reported. If anything, the data came earlier than expected: In October, Bourla made a comment  in an open letter on Pfizer's website, saying, "Based on our current trial enrollment and dosing pace, we estimate we will reach this milestone in the third week of November."

The Trump administration was quick to take credit for Pfizer's promising news. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted that Pfizer's development was "thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President Donald Trump."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/pfizer-ceo-our-vaccine-timing-had-nothing-to-do-with-politics/ar-BB1aQqBM?li=BB141NW3&ocid=DELLDHP