As federal officials wax poetic about the prospect of intranasal COVID-19 vaccines and other novel vaccine platforms, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) have announced that a randomized Phase 2 study will study an incrementally improved COVID-19 vaccine known as BNT162b5. The updated vaccine candidate includes a modified spike protein designed to bolster immunogenicity…
FDA authorizes expanded use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine boosters
With the U.S. facing the biggest surge of COVID-19 infections to date, the FDA has decided to amend the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to cover adolescents aged 12 to 15 and for some immunocompromised children between the ages of 5 and 11. The agency has also reduced the window between…
Pfizer to test a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to under 5 years of age
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) have found that two 3-µg doses of their BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) vaccine were safe but generated an underwhelming immune response in children aged two to five years old. PFE shares fell 2.45% to $59.75 in early afternoon trading. The news could delay vaccine availability for younger children. As a…
Study estimates Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 78% effective in pregnant women
A retrospective study published in JAMA concluded that the BNT162b2 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) offered statistically significant protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The pivotal trial Pfizer used to win emergency use authorization for the vaccine excluded pregnant women. COVID-19, however, increases the risk of pregnancy-related complications — particularly in the third trimester. To determine how…
Pfizer to seek to expand COVID-19 vaccine EUA to children aged 5 to 11
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) aim to expand the U.S. emergency use authorization (EUA) for their COVID-19 vaccine to include children aged five to 11. The companies plan on filing paperwork for the expanded EUA over the coming months. “We are planning for emergency use authorization submission for [children aged five to 11] in…
No connection between Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and Bell’s palsy, study finds
A case-control study in Israel found no association between recent vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNtech (NSDQ:BNTX) and facial nerve (Bell’s) palsy. JAMA published the study. Clinical trials for Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines revealed numerical imbalances regarding peripheral facial nerve (Bell’s) palsy. In the former Phase 3 trial, which involved…
Recent study finds Pfizer vaccine effective against Delta variant
The BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) leads to a strong neutralizing antibody response to the B.1.617 variant, according to a recent study published in Nature. The study focused on the B.1.617.2 subtype of the virus. Two others exist, known as B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.3. The study did acknowledge that the antibody…
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 91.3% effective after six months
The first COVID-19 vaccine to win emergency use authorization in the U.S. is highly effective for at least six months after the second dose. Developed jointly by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ: BNTX), the BNT162b2 vaccine The durability of COVID-19 vaccines had been something of an open question, although early clinical data suggested that Moderna’s…