The American drug manufacturer Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced on Thursday that their coronavirus vaccine is effective for six months after the second dose.
A baseline phase 3 study showed that the injection was “91.3% effective against COVID-19, measured seven days to six months after the second dose,” the joint statement said.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the vaccine to be 100% effective against serious illness, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was 95.3% effective.
According to the statement, safety data collected from more than 12,000 vaccinated participants who had a follow-up of at least six months after the second dose showed a “favorable safety and tolerability profile”.
“These data support the favorable efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine and allow us to apply for a US FDA license for biologics,” said Albert Burla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer.
“The high efficacy of the vaccine, which is observed within six months after the second dose and against the variant common in South Africa, gives additional confidence in the overall effectiveness of our vaccine,” Burla continued.
The study involved 46,307 people.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, up to 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, produced at a plant in Baltimore, Maryland, were damaged due to human error.
The confusion has led to delays in future supplies to the United States as the FDA investigates, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.