In an interview with Sky News on Thursday, the Thessaloniki-born scientist at the helm of Pfizer, the American pharmacological conglomerate which looks to have the first coronavirus vaccine on the market, said that it will begin to be distributed “within hours” of its approval.
Dr. Albert Bourla stated that more than 20 million doses of the desperately-needed vaccine had already been manufactured, and urged patience in the global drive to vaccinate as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Those 20 million doses will be distributed immediately, he said.
He added that Pfizer, which produced the RNA-based vaccine alongside Germany’s BioNTech, will apply for licensing from drug regulators in nations around the globe “very, very soon, in a few days.”
Bourla stated that the vaccines can only be sent to countries after they had been approved by health authorities and that patience will be needed as this process unfolds since naturally, demand will exceed supply at the beginning.
On Tuesday, Pfizer announced that its vaccine is even more effective in the most vulnerable population, those over 65.
This demographic is the one at most risk for contracting the virus and the stunning news, coming on the heels of last Monday’s bombshell revelation that overall the vaccine has proven to be 90% effective, allows many to start breathing an enormous sigh of relief in this pandemic-ravaged world.
In a triumphal Tweet coming out on Wednesday morning in the US, Pfizer stated “Breaking: We are proud to announce, along with BioNTech Group, that the Phase 3 Study of our Covid-19 candidate that our candidate has met all primary efficacy endpoints.”
Bourla stated in his own Tweet that day that he had “more good news to share” on top of the already enormous news of the vaccine’s overall effectiveness which came out last Monday.
We continue to move at the speed of science, and we know that every day matters in our path to authorization. My thanks to everyone working day and night to help us make this a reality. #ScienceWillWin
— AlbertBourla (@AlbertBourla) November 18, 2020
The Pfizer CEO noted with hope that “I believe that the second half of 2021 will be a very different experience for many of us,” adding once again, as he had stated on the day when he announced the 90% effectiveness of the vaccine that there is absolutely “light at the end of the tunnel.”
He added “If we are patient and this will end soon.”
We also announced that the safety database required by the @US_FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) has been achieved.
— AlbertBourla (@AlbertBourla) November 18, 2020
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