Pfizer urges patience in ‘last mile’ of Covid-19 vaccine process

Pfizer’s chief executive has urged patience in the “last mile” of Covid-19 vaccine development, after the timeline for an early look at whether a late-stage trial shows its vaccine works was poised to slip into November. Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that he was still “cautiously optimistic” about the vaccine, which could be the first submitted for US emergency approval. He noted that “stress levels” around the world were rising as the “worst fears” come true, with Covid-19 spreading in Europe, the US and around the globe. But the trial — which has enrolled over 42,000 participants, with 36,000 having received their second dose — has not yet hit the threshold at which it is allowed to do an initial analysis on whether the vaccine works.