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While the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which, according to the latest study results, should ensure a possible breakthrough with its corona vaccine in cooperation with the German pharmaceutical company Biontech and thus feed the great hope of a rapid approval of a vaccine, warns a team of American research in the specialized journal “Plos uno” regarding possible resistance of Sars-CoV-2 to vaccines.
As Pfizer announced on Monday, according to the latest data from the study phase, which is crucial for approval, which was evaluated on Sunday by an independent team of experts, more than 90 percent protection against the Covid-19 disease. There were no serious side effects. Biontech and Pfizer want to apply for approval from the US FDA next week, he said. Also in Europe, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) should submit an application for approval.
Similar to bacteria
The BNT162b2 vaccine had been developed by Biontech in the “Lightspeed” project since mid-January. The phase 3 study, crucial for its approval, began in several countries in late July. More than 43,500 people have received at least one of the two vaccines, which are administered every three weeks. According to the manufacturer, protection by vaccination is achieved one week after the second injection.
On Monday, however, a team of scientists led by Pennsylvania State University biologists David Kennedy and Andrew Read also had people sit up and take notice. Because, like bacteria, viruses can also develop resistance. Although bacteria develop them against antibiotics, this resistance can also be caused by viruses against vaccines. The fact that Sars-CoV-2 is susceptible to mutations could therefore undermine the efficacy of the vaccines, the biologists caution.
Ten substances in phase 3
“A Covid-19 vaccine is urgently needed to save lives and help society get back to normal before the pandemic,” Kennedy said. However, “as we have seen with other diseases such as pneumonia, the development of resistance can quickly render vaccines ineffective. By learning from these previous challenges and implementing that knowledge, we can potentially maximize the long-term effects of a Covid- vaccine. 19 “.
The researchers emphasize the need for vaccines that trigger a redundant vaccination response, in which the immune system is stimulated to target multiple sites on the surface of the virus.
The mechanism resembles that of combination antibiotic therapy, which can delay the development of antibiotic resistance, explains Read, also director of the Huck Institute for Life Sciences. As a result, the virus would have to acquire not just one but several mutations to survive the attack of the host’s immune system, according to the biologist.
According to the WHO, there are currently around 200 Covid-19 vaccines in development. 47 of these are currently under clinical evaluation, 10 in the decisive phase 3.
In Russia and China, vaccines were approved even before the results of efficacy studies were available. BNT162b2 now seems to have the upper hand in the western world. The companies hope to be able to supply up to 50 million cans this year. They estimate up to 1.3 billion doses worldwide by 2021.
Leap of course for Pfizer
The Biontech preparation is a so-called RNA vaccine. It contains genetic information about the pathogen, from which the body produces a virus protein, in this case the surface protein that the virus uses to enter cells. The goal of vaccination is to stimulate the body to produce antibodies against this protein to intercept viruses before they enter cells and multiply. This will prevent a Covid-19 outbreak.
Pfizer’s progress has now taken a price jump. Shares of the pharmaceutical giant rose 19 percent shortly after the exchange’s launch, while US-listed shares of Biontech rose 12 percent. Overall, US equities rose to the new trading week with real price fireworks on the positive news. The Dow Jones Industrial was already trading at an increase of 4.62 percent.
