Sell-side pans AstraZeneca COVID-19 results; AZN slips, Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna gain

 

• On just the headline numbers alone, the AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN)/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial numbers (on average preventing 70% of infections) didn't match the 90%+ results from the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE, BNTX) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) studies.
• SVB Leerink's Geoff Porges throws a bit more shade on things, calling AZN's efficacy results "embellished," and raising questions after safety data disclosures. Porges believes the vaccine will never be licensed for U.S. use.
• For now, AstraZeneca awaits data from its U.S. trial (this morning's results were from trials in the U.K. and Brazil). In the meantime, the company is readying applications for conditional approval from other global regulators, including an emergency use listing from the WHO.
• Premarket action: AZN -1.65%, PFE +1%, BNTX +5.1%, MRNA +4%
• https://seekingalpha.com/news/3638661-least-one-sell-sider-not-impressed-astrazeneca-covidminus-19-results-azn-slips-while-pfizer