BERLIN : Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE secured approval for Germany’s first human clinical trials of a possible coronavirus vaccine, entering a global race to develop a defense against the pandemic.
Regulators gave the green light to test the companies’ proposed vaccine on 200 healthy people aged 18 to 55 years in a first stage, and on additional high-risk candidates in a second stage, according to a statement Wednesday.
Shares of Mainz-based BioNTech rose as much as 63% in Frankfurt. The companies said they expect to win approval for testing in the US shortly.
Pfizer shares rose 3.6% in premarket trading. “It’s a good sign that the development of vaccines in Germany is at a stage at which we can begin with the first trials," Health Minister