In encouraging news, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin has said BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine deliveries could arrive as early as Christmas this year, if “all goes well.”
He told Reuters TV: “If all goes well, you could imagine that we get approval (from the US FDA) in the second half of December and start deliveries before Christmas, but really only if everything goes well.” , said.
This comes after drug maker Pfizer said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine candidate has shown 95 percent efficacy in the late stage of the trial.
They said the efficacy of the vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech SE was consistent across age and ethnic demographics, and that there were no major side effects, a sign that immunization could be used worldwide.
On Monday, Moderna had also announced that its experimental Covid-19 ‘mRNA-1273’ vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing coronavirus. The statement was issued based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial.
The third phase of Covaxin trials will begin in Haryana on November 20
As the race for the coronavirus vaccine heats up, the third phase of the trial of the Indian vaccine candidate Covaxin will also begin.
Indian coronavirus vaccine developer Bharat Biotech said Wednesday that the third phase of the trial of Covaxin, a possible vaccine against Covid-19, will begin on November 20 in Haryana.
Covaxin is being indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). The trials will take place at the Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak in Haryana.
Last month, the vaccine manufacturer had said that it had successfully completed the interim analysis of the phase 1 and 2 trials and is beginning phase 3 trials.
Bharat Biotech had said on Monday that the Covaxin phase 3 trial will involve 26,000 volunteers at 25 centers in India and is being carried out in partnership with the ICMR.
It is the largest clinical trial conducted for a COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is India’s first phase 3 efficacy study for a COVID-19 vaccine and the largest phase 3 efficacy trial ever conducted.
Possible Covid-19 vaccines not affected by the virus mutation
Meanwhile, those who are concerned that vaccines may protect against the coronavirus mutation can also expect good news. A new study involving a virologist at the University of York has said that the vaccines currently being developed for Covid-19 should not be affected by recent mutations in the virus.
Most of the vaccines being developed around the world have been based on the original “D strain” of the virus, which was more common among the sequences released at the beginning of the pandemic.
Since then, the virus has evolved to become the world’s dominant ‘G strain’, now accounting for about 85% of published SARS-CoV-2 genomes.
Strain G, within the main protein on the surface of the virus, was feared to negatively impact developing vaccines. But research by Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), found no evidence that the change would negatively affect the efficacy of candidate vaccines.
WHO says virus wave must be fought without vaccines
On the other hand, the emergency director of the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the vaccines would not arrive in time to defeat the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, AFP reported.
WHO’s Michael Ryan said vaccines should not be seen as a “unicorn” magic bullet, and that countries fighting a virus resurgence would once again have to “climb this mountain” without them.
Despite the recent promising announcements of candidate vaccine trials in the final phase, “we are not there yet with the vaccines,” Ryan said.
“A lot of countries are going through this wave, and they are going to go through this wave and will continue through this wave, without vaccines. We need to understand and internalize that, and realize: we have to climb this mountain this time, without vaccines,” Ryan said, cited by AFP.
Scientists warn volunteers still need to test a variety of coronavirus vaccines
Furthermore, scientists have warned that it may be too early to rejoice.
While two Covid-19 vaccines could be nearing the finish line, scientists caution that it is critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates in the US and around the world, The Associated Press reported.
Scientists said multiple vaccines will be needed to meet global demand and help end the pandemic, raising concern that studies that still need to enroll thousands of volunteers will run out if people wait for an already approved option.
Supplies aside, other COVID-19 vaccines in development may work differently in different populations and “we will probably benefit from having a menu of vaccine options,” said Dr. James Cutrell, infectious disease expert at UT. Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“We still need volunteers,” stressed the director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, and urged Americans to sign up.
“It is one thing to be effective two months after the last vaccination and another thing to be effective one year later,” said Dr. Jesse Goodman of Georgetown University, former director of the FDA’s vaccine division. “It’s going to be very important to complete these clinical trials and the trials of the other vaccines so that we can make comparisons.”
(With inputs from agencies)
