• EMA confirms successful application for Conditional Marketing Authorization for BNT162b2, which Pfizer and BioNTech submitted yesterday
  • In addition to submission to EMA, FDA and U.K. MHRA, the companies have also initiated additional rolling submissions across the globe including in Australia, Canada and Japan, and plan to submit applications to other regulatory agencies around the world
  • Data from the Phase 3 clinical study demonstrated a vaccine efficacy rate for BNT162b2 of 95% against COVID-19, with no safety concerns observed to date

NEW YORK, NY, USA and MAINZ, Germany I December 1, 2020 I Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) have submitted on Monday, November 30, 2020, a formal Application for Conditional Marketing Authorization (CMA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for their mRNA vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, against COVID-19. This submission completes the rolling review process initiated on October 6, 2020, with nonclinical data and partial Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) data, followed by emerging clinical data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech. If EMA concludes that the benefits of the vaccine candidate outweigh its risks in protecting against COVID‑19, it will recommend granting a CMA that could potentially enable use of BNT162b2 in Europe before the end of 2020.

The submitted clinical data demonstrated a vaccine efficacy rate of 95% (p<0.0001) in the companies’ Phase 3 clinical study in participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (first primary objective) and also in participants with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (second primary objective), in each case measured from 7 days after the second dose. Efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics, with an observed efficacy in adults age 65 and over of more than 94%. The first primary objective analysis was based on 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In the trial, BNT162b2 also showed an overall favorable tolerability with no safety concerns reported by the Data Monitoring Committee to date. Approximately 42% of global participants and 30% of U.S. participants in the Phase 3 study have racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and 41% of global and 45% of U.S. participants are 56-85 years of age.

“Today’s announcement marks another key milestone in our efforts to fulfill our promise to do everything we can to address this dire crisis given the critical public health need,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO. “We have known since the beginning of this journey that patients are waiting, and we stand ready to ship COVID-19 vaccine doses as soon as potential authorizations will allow us.”

“As a company located in the heart of Europe, today’s milestone is important to us as we continue to seek to enable a worldwide supply upon potential approval of BNT162b2,” said Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. “We will continue to work with regulatory agencies around the world to enable the rapid distribution, should the vaccine receive the approval, contributing to the joint efforts to let the world heal and regain its normal pace of life.”

The vaccine candidate will be assessed according to EMA’s normal stringent standards for quality, safety and efficacy. The BNT162b2 vaccine candidate is currently not approved for distribution anywhere in the world.  

In addition to submission to EMA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the companies have initiated rolling submissions across the globe including in Australia, Canada and Japan, and plan to submit applications to other regulatory agencies around the world.

About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients’ Lives
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world’s premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.Pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.Pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.

About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer. For more information, please visit www.BioNTech.de.

SOURCE: BioNTech