Pfizer says coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective

Pfizer said Wednesday that a final assessment of trial data on the COVID-19 vaccine it developed in conjunction with German company BioNTech showed it was 95% effective, and that it would apply for emergency use authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “within days.” It was the latest hopeful news for a world desperate to turn the tide on the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 1.3 million people globally, and almost 250,000 in the U.S. alone.

In a statement released early Wednesday, Pfizer said the efficacy of its vaccine was consistent “across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics,” and that trial data after two months had met the criteria laid out by the FDA to demonstrate both the safety and function of the vaccine.

“Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit a request within days to the FDA for an EUA [Emergency Use Authorization] based on the totality of safety and efficacy data collected to date,” the U.S. pharmaceuticals giant said.

BREAKING: We are proud to announce, along with @BioNTech_Group, that the Phase 3 study of our #COVID19 vaccine candidate has met all primary efficacy endpoints.

— Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) November 18, 2020