Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have proposed to the authorities to expand their Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial to about 44,000 participants while increasing the diversity of the trial population. The initial target figure for the trial of the covid vaccine that both the companies are jointly developing was up to 30,000 participants, which the companies said they expect to reach by next week. If the study is successful, the companies could submit the vaccine for regulatory approval as early as October, Pfizer said. The vaccine candidate utilizes chemical messenger RNA to mimic the surface of the coronavirus and teach the immune system to recognize and neutralize it. In a statement, the university confirmed the restart across all of its U.K. clinical trial sites after regulators gave the go-ahead following the pause on Sunday.

Source: Mint September 13, 2020 04:07 UTC