Pfizer boss claims the company has 'stacks' of a COVID-19 vaccine ready to go
The head of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has claimed the company has vaccines for COVID-19 ready to go, and that they are just waiting to receive the 'green light' from clinical trials.
Ben Osborn, who is the head of the company's UK branch, added that the vaccine is being developed in collaboration with the German company BioNTech, and that final stage data is due soon.
He explained to the Mail on Sunday: 'We've already got several hundred thousand doses sat in Belgium right now.'
'I saw a picture of it the other day. It was great to see the first vial coming off the manufacturing line and it just brought a tremendous smile to my face to see all of this work over the last six or seven months actually now result in a product.'
Participants as young as 12 are among the 44,000 people taking part in the late-stage human trials, although Mr. Osborn added that nobody will get a vaccine until it is proven to be absolutely safe.
He once more expressed his hopes for the vaccine: 'It's tremendously exciting, the hope here is that we essentially come up with a medicine that disrupts the virus and ultimately prevents it worsening the condition of a patient.'
Osborn's comments have been well received by biochemistry scientist at Trinity College Dublin, Professor Luke O'Neill, who said that he is confident that a Pfizer-made vaccine for COVID-19 will be available by the end of the year.
