Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Real World' Use Shows Pfizer Vaccine To Be 94% Effective: Study
Reuters: In Boost For COVID-19 Battle, Pfizer Vaccine Found 94% Effective In Real World
The first big real-world study of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be independently reviewed shows the shot is highly effective at preventing COVID-19, in a potentially landmark moment for countries desperate to end lockdowns and reopen economies. Up until now, most data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines has come under controlled conditions in clinical trials, leaving an element of uncertainty over how results would translate into the real world with its unpredictable variables. (Lubell and Rabinovitch, 2/24)
CIDRAP: Real-World Trial Of Pfizer COVID Vaccine Finds High 2-Dose, Good 1-Dose Protection
Among the 596,618 patients 16 years and older vaccinated, the first dose was 46% effective against COVID-19 infection 14 to 20 days later and 92% effective 7 or more days after the second dose. Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic illness was 57% after the first dose and 94% after the second, while it was 74% and 87% effective, respectively, at preventing hospitalization. Efficacy was 62% and 92%, respectively, at preventing severe illness and 72% at preventing death 14 to 20 days after the first dose. (Van Beusekom, 2/24)
AP: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Works Well In Big 'Real World' Test
Wednesday’s published results, from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel, give strong reassurance that the benefits seen in smaller, limited testing persisted when the vaccine was used much more widely in a general population with various ages and health conditions. ... It seemed as effective in folks over 70 as in younger people. “This is immensely reassuring ... better than I would have guessed,” said the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Gregory Poland. Vanderbilt University’s Dr. Buddy Creech agreed: “Even after one dose we can see very high effectiveness in prevention of death,” he said. (Marchione, 2/24)
Bloomberg: Pfizer-BioNTech Shot Could Help End Pandemic, Israel Study Shows
The researchers matched each vaccinated person with someone who hadn’t gotten a shot, enabling the best analysis yet of whether extremely good results from an earlier clinical trial would hold up in the real world. The Pfizer-BioNTech shot cleared every hurdle. It was so effective, in fact, that outside experts said that with broad enough use it may be possible to halt the pandemic. “This is the kind of vaccine that gives us hope that herd immunity may be possible,” said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney who wasn’t involved with the study. (Kresge and Gale, 2/24)
In other news about Pfizer's covid vaccine —
FiercePharma: Pfizer Eyes Higher Prices For COVID-19 Vaccine After The Pandemic Wanes: Exec, Analyst
Amid the high-stakes fight against COVID-19, a company at the forefront of the vaccine effort is laying plans to hike prices after the crisis. A top Pfizer exec said the drugmaker aims to charge more after the "pandemic pricing environment," and an influential analyst says the company could be eying prices 3 to 4 times higher. On an earnings call earlier this month, Chief Financial Officer Frank D’Amelio said that “obviously,” the company is “going to get more on price” after the “pandemic pricing environment." He was speaking in response to Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Jason Zemansky, who asked the management team about how profit margins for the program could change over time. (Sagonowsky, 2/23)
