Amid slightly concerning news of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine trails being halted due to complications with one of the COVID-19 vaccine volunteers in the UK, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech has shared that about the near-perfect condition of his vaccine candidate.
Ugur Sahin, chief executive at the German pharmaceutical firm said in an interview with CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen that the firm’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate which is co-developed with New York-based multinational pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer is is “near perfect” and could be ready for approval by mid-October.
“It has an excellent profile and I consider this vaccine as a vaccine which is near perfect, and which has a near-perfect profile,” the CEO said.
Mr. Sahin said that he believes the approval for emergency use will be granted quickly by regulatory authorities.
“Given that we have addressed the full package which is required for vaccine development including scientific studies, pre-clinical studies, safety tolerability testing and efficacy testing, there should not be too much time between emergency use authorization and full approval,” he added.
The firms have already secured a $1.95 billion agreement with the United States government to produce and deliver 100 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The arrangement also provides the U.S with the rights to procure an additional 500 million doses if required.
Americans are expected to receive the vaccine for free subject to at least an emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The EU deal
The Duo has also signed a similar deal with the European Union (EU) to supply 200 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine for the EU Member states. The contract also includes a clause that grants the EU an option to purchase another 100 million doses if required.
