Nine pharmaceutical companies at the forefront of the novel coronavirus vaccine race pledged Tuesday to stick to regulatory standards and pursue vaccine approval only after their candidates prove safe and effective in Phase 3 trials.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans said they aim to vote on a “skinny” coronavirus stimulus package in the coming days as the U.S. surpassed 6.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 including over 189,000 deaths.
The move by the drug companies places emphasis on the effort to thwart pressure from the White House to have a vaccine by Election Day. To date, top officials, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn, have repeatedly reassured the public both through the media as well as on Twitter that the regulatory body will avoid rushing a vaccine by Nov. 3. Read more…..
Chart of the Day
Icarus TV
Albert Bourla, chief executive officer of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, talks to TODAY about the “historic pledge” made by nine drugmakers to not rush out a coronavirus vaccine without proper testing and says Pfizer will only submit a vaccine for authorization “when we have evidence of safety and efficacy.” He predicts that Pfizer “will have an answer by the end of October,” but adds that that does not mean actual distribution of a vaccine.
