U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech company BioNTech were already collaborating to come up with a flu vaccine based on a genetic material called mRNA. When COVID-19 emerged, they quickly agreed to partner to test candidates developed by BioNTech that, just under a year later, led to the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use by the U.S. FDA. Pfizer’s experience in conducting clinical trials demonstrated, in record time, that the companies’ vaccine was 95% efficacious in protecting people from COVID-19—which was confirmed in real-world studies involving millions of vaccinated people—and its scale will help produce an expected 2.5 billion doses in 2021.
Correction, April 29
This story’s original photo caption misstated Türeci and Sahin’s location. They were in Mainz, Germany; not at a production facility in Marburg, Germany.
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
