Pfizer is Planning to Test Coronavirus Vaccine on Thousands of People

With the coronavirus pandemic still going and with no end in sight, drug makers are in a rush to find a vaccine.

Pfizer is planning to expand human trials of a coronavirus to thousands of people by September according to the company’s CEO. The company’s Chief Executive Albert Bourla said that if a vaccine proves to be safe, the company “will be able to deliver millions of doses in the October time frame.”

The pharmaceutical giant is working alongside German drugmaker BioNTech, and injected doses of its potential vaccine, BNT162, into the first human participants in the U.S. last week. The company said it hopes to test up to 360 people in the clinical trial.

During CNBC’s Health Returns Virtual Summit, Bourla said the company is testing four different vaccine variations.

“We are collecting data as we speak in real time so we know, we are monitoring the safety of the doses,” Bourla said. Pfizer will have conclusive data on which vaccine variation stands out in June or July according to the CEO.

“If things go well, and we feel that the product is safe and efficacious, and the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and EMA [European Medicines Agency] and other regulatory agencies feel the same, we will be able to deliver millions of doses in the October time frame,” Bourla said.

The company plans to produce hundreds of millions of doses in 2021, he noted.

“We are proud that our ongoing, successful relationship with BioNTech gives our companies the resiliency to mobilize our collective resources with extraordinary speed in the face of this worldwide challenge,” said Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, Pfizer back in March. “We believe that by pairing Pfizer’s development, regulatory and commercial capabilities with BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine technology and expertise as one of the industry leaders, we are reinforcing our commitment to do everything we can to combat this escalating pandemic, as quickly as possible.”

“This is a global pandemic, which requires a global effort. In joining forces with our partner Pfizer, we believe we can accelerate our effort to bring a COVID-19 vaccine to people around the world who need it,” said Ugur Sahin, Co-Founder and CEO of BioNTech at the time.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and have not been compensated for this article.