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Scientists spent months searching for a vaccine against the coronavirus. The first pharmaceutical companies are now reporting successes. Biontech boss Ugur Sahin now awaits quick approval.
A few days ago there were two reports of success looking for a Corona vaccine: Both the Mainz company Biontech and the US group Pfizer as well as the Modern Pharmaceutical Company have found vaccines that have been proven to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 they tried. Now the head of Biontech, Ugur Sahin, expects the active ingredient to be approved quickly.
- The full interview with the head of Biontech, Ugur Sahin Look here or in the video above.
When might the vaccine be available?
The head of Biontech, Ugur Sahin, expects a quick approval, especially for Europe: “Well, in Europe, if we are really optimistic, it will work in the second half of December this year,” he explains. Sahin reveals what has to work for it to happen Video. For approval in the US, there were precise specifications from the local FDA authority. “But there will also be a dialogue there, and I imagine that approval could also be granted in the United States at the end of the first half of December or the second half.”
There are also positive signs from the United States itself: the FDA could give the green light to commercialization in December, as announced by a representative of the crisis team created by the US government. The medical personnel and the members of the risk groups could have access to the vaccines from the first half of December. According to US authorities, the vaccine should be available to the general public in the United States beginning in April.
How effective is the Biontech vaccine?
Candidate for the crown vaccine of the Mainz company Biontech and the American company Pfizer prevents manufacturers according to 95 percent of the COVID-19-Diseases. After completing the analyzes of their latest large clinical study, a 95 percent effectiveness could be confirmed, the two companies announced on Nov. 18. There are no security issues with the agent. Pfizer announced that it would apply for emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
“The final analysis not only confirmed 95 percent of the general population,” adds Sahin. And it has good news for people in the risk group over 65. In the video above, he reveals that the vaccine is highly effective for this part of the population as well.
The phase 3 study of BNT162b2 began on July 27 in several countries. More than 43,500 volunteers participate. About half of them receive an ineffective placebo. How well the vaccination works can be estimated by comparing the number of Covid-19 illnesses among those vaccinated with the number of illnesses in the placebo group.
The partial results of the study had previously certified an effectiveness of more than 90 percent. According to the most recent information on November 18, 162 study participants who received a placebo contracted Covid-19. However, in the group of subjects treated with the vaccine, only eight participants became ill.
According to the study, efficacy is consistent regardless of age, ethnicity or gender. In elderly patients, fewer and weaker side effects were observed.
If efficacy is confirmed, the agent would be one of the most effective vaccines of all, comparable to the measles vaccine. The only significant side effects found in some study participants were headache and fatigue, the manufacturers said.
What opportunities does the active ingredient in Moderna offer?
The American pharmaceutical company Moderna has also confirmed 94.5 percent effectiveness for its m-RNA-1273 vaccine. Therefore, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started an ongoing review process that could lead to faster approval.
According to its own information, the EU Commission is currently negotiating with the US company the delivery of up to 160 million doses of vaccine. A contract has not yet been concluded.
Moderna’s phase 3 study, dubbed “COVE,” includes a total of 30,000 subjects. Half of them received the vaccine, the other half acts as a control group and receives a placebo. So far, a total of 95 study participants have contracted Covid-19. Of these, only five cases were actually vaccinated, 90 cases were diagnosed in the control group. This results in an effectiveness of 94.5 percent.
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