A possible vaccine could be available in the United States this year. Pfizer Inc. PFE.N shared on Friday that they could file for US authorization on the coronavirus vaccine that they are developing together with German partner BioTech 22UAy.F, and the latest date could be as early as late November.
Despite the promise made by President Donald Trump that a vaccine will be available before the United States election comes, that timeline is unlikely possible. The pharmaceutical company stated that even if the vaccine will be effective as soon as this month after its clinical trial on 40,000 people, still safety data is needed for its official release, but it will not be available until next month.
On the pharmaceutical company's website, Pfizer News published a letter from its chief executive on its website, which lifted the United States stock market and the company's shares, Reuters reported.
On the other hand, shares of rival vaccine maker Moderna inc MRNA.O was up slightly, as they are also close in their vaccine development.
Albert Bourla, Chief Executive of Pfizer, shared that he wants to make it clear, assuming positive data. The pharmaceutical company will apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the US soon after the safety milestone will be achieved in the third week of November.
The US president repeatedly stated that there would be a vaccine that is available before the November election. Still, according to the statements from the pharmaceutical companies and health officials, the data will only be available this month.
Moreover, CNBC reported that there is also a huge possibility that there will be further delays as the trials for the two rival vaccines were put on hold in the US during the fall.
The repeatedly mentioning of a vaccine by the president and his rush has also raised concerns across the US. Some are even saying that the US Food and Drug Administration, who acts in haste, might not conduct sufficient and requisite reviews of the vaccine.
Health officials in the US have sought to lessen the fears regarding those concerns because not enough Americans would take a vaccine early on.
To keep out the public's fear, earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration formalized a requirement that the vaccine makers collect two months of safety data on one-half of trial participants.
Mizuho analyst Vamil Divan shared that Pfizer has been trying to demonstrate that its decision-making is fueled by science and not due to politically.
Divan stated that just getting the vaccine to the market is only a small part of the overall picture.
He also added that people should actually be willing to take it because the latest poll shows that the public is reluctant to take the upcoming vaccine because they think it is not just being driven purely by science, Forbes reported.
Since the FDA announced the two-month requirement on October 6, which was also approved by the White House, but Trump tagged the move as a political hit job. This is due to the likelihood of a vaccine before voters go to polls on November 3, which is also the deadline of his previous statements regarding the vaccine's availability.
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