The candidates, both BNT162b1 and BNT162b2, would be the most complex of at least four vaccines getting analyzed by most firms in ongoing trials in the United States and Germany.

Pfizer's shares were up roughly 2% and U.S.-listed stocks of BioNTech were up roughly 6 percent before the bell.

Earlier this month, the firms said BNT162b1 showed potential against the virus also was proven to be well expressed in early-stage human trials.

Historical data from the trial of BNT162b1 have to be released in July, the firms said.

If the ongoing studies are successful, and also the vaccine candidate receives regulatory approval, the organizations said that they expect to make up to 100 million doses by the end of the year and potentially more than 1.2 billion doses by 2021-end.

The companies said they expect to begin a massive trial with up to 30,000 participants just as later this month, should they receive regulatory approval.

The fast track status by the Food and Drug Administration is granted to accelerate the overview of new drugs and vaccines which show the capacity to address unmet medical needs.