Pfizer Ends Covid-19 Vaccine Trial And Requests Emergency Approval For Mass Use

Pfizer has asked for emergency government health approval after ending their coronavirus vaccine trial.

The drug company's vaccine candidate has been found to be 95 per cent effective in eliminating Covid-19 and they want it to be mass produced as quick as possible.

Pfizer partnered with German company BioNTech to create their candidate and say there have been no adverse reactions so far.

The only side effects have been fatigue and headache, however that has only been present in less than than five per cent of participants in a major trial.

Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, said in a statement: "The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic.

"With hundreds of thousands of people around the globe infected every day, we urgently need to get a safe and effective vaccine to the world."

After completing all the tests needed, they have now requested the vaccination be approved by regulatory bodies in the United States and Europe within days.

During Stage 3 trials, 43,000 volunteers were selected and 170 had a coronavirus infection. Of those 170, 162 had been given a placebo and eight received the Pfizer vaccine.

Pfizer and BioNTech will be submitting the data to be peer reviewed.

"These are extraordinary results, and the safety data looks good," said David Spiegelhalter, a professor and expert in risk and evidence communication at the University of Cambridge.

"It would be interesting to see what adverse reactions were reported by the group getting the placebo, since that gives an idea of how much of the adverse effects are due to the vaccination process, and how much is due to the vaccine itself."

The beauty of the Pfizer vaccination candidate was that it was found to work in people over 65, who are the most at risk of dying from coronavirus.

The tricky part is that it needs to be stored at temperatures of -70 degrees. Comparatively, the Moderna vaccine, which has a 94.5 per cent success rate, can be stored in a fridge.

Australia has secured a deal to get 10 million Pfizer vaccines.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie