PFE Pfizer Inc

By Matt Grossman

BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc. said results of a German trial of their coronavirus-vaccine candidate were positive and supported large-scale trials of the vaccine.

The companies said in the new study, doses of their leading candidate for a vaccine against Covid-19, called BNT162b1, led to high levels of antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. After two doses, the level of neutralizing geometric mean titers ranged between 0.7 times and 3.2 times the level typically seen in patients who have recovered from Covid-19, BioNTech and Pfizer said.

Test subjects also showed CD4 T-cell and CD8 T-cell responses, the companies said.

The study followed a previous preliminary trial of the vaccine in the U.S. that also showed a promising immune response to the vaccine, the companies said. The new study included 60 patients between 18 and 55 years old.

The trial didn't lead to any serious adverse events. Most side effects were mild to moderate, although there were severe on occasion, leading to flu-like symptoms. All the adverse events resolved spontaneously after management with simple measures, the companies said.

The vaccine candidate uses a messenger-RNA approach, a relatively untested vaccine technology that is also the basis of Moderna Inc.'s planned coronavirus vaccine.

A Phase 2b/3 trial of the vaccine, to include up to 30,000 volunteers, will begin later this month if regulators approve the plan.

Write to Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 20, 2020 09:31 ET (13:31 GMT)

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