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 We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Fight to Free Evan Gershkovich
- Meet the 2024 Women of the Year
- John Kerry's Next Move
- The Quiet Work Trees Do for the Planet
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Column: The Internet Made Romantic Betrayal Even More Devastating
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time