21st Aug 2020 07:52
(Alliance News) - A vaccine for Covid-19 could be available for use by the end of this year, after a promising US study.
Pfizer said late Thursday that following positive phase one trial data for its potential Covid-19 vaccine BNT162b2, it is on track for a regulatory review by October, which could lead to the global supply of up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020.
The US drugmaker, in partnership with German company BioNTech, released key safety and immunogenicity data from the US phase one trial for the vaccine candidate, which at 30 micrograms demonstrated strong immunogencity in younger and older adults, seven days at after the second dose.
In addition, the BNT162b2 administration was well tolerated, with a mild to moderate fever in fewer than than 20% of the participants.
Pfizer and BioNTech are continuing to analyse data from the phase one trials in US and Germany, with T cell immune responses elicited by BNT162b2 being evaluated in the German study.
The US study has now advanced into a phase 2/3 safety and efficacy study, which has enrolled more than 11,000 participants to date.
Pfizer said that assuming critical success, it and BioNTech are on track to seek a regulatory review of the vaccine candidate as early as October, and should approval be obtained, plans to supply up to 100 million doses around the world by the end of 2020.
Looking further ahead, the two companies are looking to increase this supply to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.
Pfizer rose 1.2% in New York on Thursday, adding 0.5% more in after-hours trade.
Here is what you need to know at the London market open on Friday:
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MARKETS
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FTSE 100: called flat at 6,011.50
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Hang Seng: up 1.3% at 25,121.72
Nikkei 225: closed up 0.2% at 22,920.30
DJIA: closed up 46.85 points, or 0.2%, at 27,739.73
S&P 500: closed up 10.66 points, or 0.3%, at 3,385.51
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GBP: up at USD1.3238 (USD1.3160)
EUR: up at USD1.1870 (USD1.1849)
Gold: down at USD1,942.11 per ounce (USD1,946.90)
Oil (Brent): firm at USD44.98 a barrel (USD44.64)
(changes since previous London equities close)
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ECONOMICS AND GENERAL
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Friday's Key Economic Events still to come
0930 BST UK CIPS Markit flash PMI for manufacturing and services
1100 BST Ireland wholesale price index
0930 CEST Germany flash PMI
1000 CEST EU eurozone flash PMI
1600 CEST EU flash consumer confidence indicator
0945 EDT US flash manufacturing PMI
0945 EDT US flash services PMI
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UK retail sales rose in July as lockdown restrictions were relaxed, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. UK retail sales were up 1.4% in July on an annual basis, having decreased 1.6% in June. Market consensus, according to FXStreet, was for zero annual growth. On a monthly basis, UK retail sales were up 3.6% in July, having jumped 14% in June. The reading beat market consensus for a 2.0% monthly rise.
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The UK Department for Transport is launching an "Acceleration Unit" to speed up the delivery of transport projects across the country, it has been confirmed. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a new Acceleration Unit for transport projects which aims to ensure that vital rail and road upgrades will be delivered more quickly. Shapps said the new team of specialists, headed by Campaign for Better Transport Chief Executive Darren Shirley, will be in place next month. He added that the acceleration of vital rail and road upgrades through the unit will "create jobs, increase connectivity and boost the economy".
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British holidaymakers face another scramble to return home to avoid quarantine after Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago were removed from the safe travel list. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that travellers from those countries to the UK would be required to self-isolate for 14 days with the restrictions coming into effect from Saturday at 4am. It comes as Portugal was given travel corridor status, meaning that Brits will not have to quarantine on their return to the UK from the country. In Scotland, travellers from Switzerland will be required to quarantine for a fortnight on their return to the country.
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Joe Biden accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party to become president of the US, in a resounding speech Thursday that sharply denounced President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to the nation. He's failed to protect us, he has failed to protect America," Biden said, calling it "unforgivable," on the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention, which was held mostly-online. The mostly-forward looking address from the former vice president declared that "hope is more powerful than fear," and vowed to get a grip on the virus and the recession from the first day of a Biden presidency, including by enforcing a mask mandate. The forceful address, given without a crowd because of the pandemic, and therefore lacking the normal cheers and applause, seemed also designed to lay to rest attacks on Biden from the Trump camp that the 77-year-old had become mentally feeble.
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BROKER RATING CHANGES
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DEUTSCHE BANK CUTS ANTOFAGASTA TO 'SELL' ('HOLD') - TARGET 920 (870) PENCE
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BARCLAYS CUTS DCC TO 'EQUAL WEIGHT' ('OVERWEIGHT') - TARGET 6900 (8100) PENCE
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BERNSTEIN CUTS PETROFAC TO 'MARKET-PERFORM' ('OUTPERFORM') - TARGET 170 PENCE
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DEUTSCHE BANK CUTS BELLWAY TO 'HOLD' ('BUY') - TARGET 2422 (3093) PENCE
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COMPANIES - FTSE 100
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AstraZeneca said its drug Imfinzi has been approved in Japan to treat extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, an aggressive and fast-growing cancer that usually recurs and progresses quickly. Imfinzi, the brand name for durvalumab, was approved by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare based on positive results from Astra's phase 3 Caspian trial. The approval is for Imfinzi in combination with etoposide plus platinum chemotherapy. The Caspian trial showed the drug plus chemotherapy achieved "a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival" compared to chemotherapy only.
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COMPANIES - MAIN MARKET AND AIM
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Kingspan Group said it delivered a resilient half-year performance overall, given challenges brought about by the coronavirus crisis. For the half-year ended June 30, revenue fell 8% to EUR2.07 billion from EUR2.24 billion last year, and pretax profit fell 15% to EUR177.5 million from EUR208.9. Kingspan said that, in light of the coronavirus crisis, it decided that is prudent not to pay an interim dividend and added that its shareholder returns policy is under review. The company paid an interim dividend of 13.0 euro cents per share last year.
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Hurricane Energy said it has appointed Antony Maris as CEO-designate Hurricane said Maris has wide-ranging experience in the oil and gas sector and was most recently chief operating officer at Pharos Energy from 2012 to early 2020. Pharos was formerly known as SOCO International. Maris will work alongside interim CEO Beverley Smith and will assume the role following the release of Hurricane's interim results in September. Smith will then return to her role as a non-executive director.
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Tour operator Jet2, part of Dart Group, plans to resume flights and holidays to Portugal's Algarve region next week after the country was added to the UK's travel corridor list. Jet2.com and Jet2holidays announced they will start offering breaks to the popular destination of Faro from August 24. Multiple weekly flights to the southern Portuguese city will be reintroduced from Belfast International, Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle airports. It follows UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealing that passengers arriving in the UK from Portugal will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days, with the change coming into effect from 4am on Saturday. Portugal has also been exempted from the FCO's global advisory against non-essential travel.
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Friday's Shareholder Meetings
VR Education Holdings
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By Tom Waite; [email protected]
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