Coronavirus vaccine could be ready for the public by fall, drug company Pfizer says

Pfizer pharmaceuticals announced Tuesday it could have “millions of doses” of a coronavirus vaccine on the market before the end of the year, if testing proves the formula safe and effective.

Working in collaboration with German pharma company BioNTech, trials have already started, according to Pfizer — and approval for U.S. testing “is expected shortly.”

“We are fully committed to confronting the public health challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic by collaborating with industry partners and academic institutions to develop potential approaches to prevent and treat COVID-19,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a news release.

Trials in the United States could be underway as early as next week, Bourla said in an interview, MarketWatch reported.

Both companies are pouring hundreds of millions into the joint project, and splitting development costs down the middle, according to the release.

“The companies estimate that there is potential to supply millions of vaccine doses by the end of 2020 ... and the potential to rapidly scale up the capacity to produce hundreds of millions of doses in 2021,” the release said.

At the same time, Pfizer is ramping up its manufacturing capability, preparing to mass-produce COVID-19 treatments and vaccines as they become available.

“This is a crisis right now, and a solution is desperately needed by all,” Bourla said, according to MarketWatch.

If a vaccine is released this year, it will beat the predictions of many health experts.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations said a 12- to 18-month wait is the shortest the world could reasonably expect, though the organization has grown more hopeful, according to Bloomberg.

The degree of cooperation between drug-makers has exceeded the organization’s initial expectations, and they believe a vaccine could be available sooner.

“These are all things we are looking at now as potential opportunities to perhaps deliver vaccines even faster than the 12 to 18 months we were discussing,” coalition head Richard Hatchett said Monday, Bloomberg reported.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Coronavirus vaccine could be ready for the public by fall, drug company Pfizer says."