Working with Pfizer, BioNTech says testing shows that the vaccine ‘yields immune activity and causes a strong immune response’
Frankfurt — A Covid-19 vaccine developed by German biotech firm BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has shown potential and was found to be well tolerated in early-stage human trials, the companies said on Wednesday.
BioNTech’s Frankfurt-listed depositary receipts hit their highest since March 19 after the news and were up almost 12% at 1.20pm GMT. Its Nasdaq-listed shares were halted in pre-market trading and were indicated 8% higher, while Pfizer’s stock was up 6%. A third dosage, tested at a higher concentration in a separate group, was not repeated after the first shot because of injection pain.
Early-stage human trials of vaccines are designed to measure certain antibodies and other immune markers in the blood as an indicator of the body’s readiness to fight an infection that then requires further validation. The pharmaceutical industry is eager to launch larger follow-up trials to see how vaccinated participants react to real infections over longer periods.
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