PFE - Is Pfizer the Best Way to Play the Coronavirus Vaccine Race?
Nucleic acid vaccines, which are either DNA- or RNA-based, hold significant promise in the fight against COVID-19. Pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and clinical-stage Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) are the most prominent names involved in the development of messenger RNA (mRNA) coronavirus vaccine candidates.
Timeline-wise, these two companies' products will probably enter the market close on each other's heels, meaning they will likely be battling for first-mover advantage and wrestling over market share. However, this is not a fight among equals -- Pfizer already enjoys an upper hand thanks to its solid clinical and commercial execution capabilities. This could be an important competitive advantage, considering that the vaccine candidates will secure emergency use authorizations (EUAs) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on limited data.
Pfizer has partnered with Germany-based BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX) to develop an mRNA vaccine candidate called BNT162b2. The companies have reported encouraging safety and immunogenicity data from the ongoing phase 1 trial, with the results suggesting that a two-dose BNT162b2 regimen has an excellent safety and tolerability profile. Data from the phase 1 trial has also shown that BNT162b2 administration brings an increase in the types of T-cells that help produce antibodies and fight viral infections.