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Pfizer’s vaccine (16 million doses planned for Italy in the first six months of 2021) is not enough in a country paralyzed by the coronavirus, where 4,000 people die every week. Moderna’s authorization is scheduled for January 12, but the impact will be limited (5 million doses in the first half). The 16 million vials of AstraZeneca with what was already counted in the first quarter. A compromise solution is possible to overcome the obstacle of experimentation to be carried out among the elderly: reserving this vaccine for those under 55 years of age.
Let’s go in order. On the official website of the Ema (European Medicines Agency) under the title “Vaccines against Covid-19” it is explained that four products are being evaluated. The European Union agency writes that for Pfizer-BioNTech the “continuous review”, which can be translated into continuous review, evaluation of the results during the trial, began on October 6 and on December 1 the “evaluation of the application began. authorization “. conditional marketing ”. We know that on December 29 there will be the answer, which seems obvious after the yes of similar agencies in the United Kingdom and the United States. Same situation for Moderna: “continuous review” on October 16, evaluation for commercialization started on December 1, the decisive meeting for approval on January 12. But on the list there are two other vaccines that closely affect Italy: on December 1 the continuous review of “Ad26.COV2.S”, produced by Janssen-Cilag International, Johnson & Johsnson group, began; Italy expects to receive 53 million doses in 2021, of which 14 are already in the second quarter. However, there is no request for authorization to trade yet, so we do not know when there will be a green light, but it is likely to be discussed in early spring.
Finally, there is the case of AstraZeneca: Italy has high hopes for the vaccine produced in collaboration with Oxford and the Italian Irbm. You have a choice of 40.3 million doses, but expected to receive all of them in the first half, even 16 between January and March. Taking into account that it is a vaccine that does not require the complicated cold chain, it is evident that the success of the experimentation would be very important. The ongoing review started earlier than all the others (October 1), but there is no request for authorization to trade yet. But Onofrio Palombella, coordinator of AstraZeneca’s vaccine working group, explained that in January, if Ema approves it, the first doses will be delivered. What’s going on?
During the experimentation there was a setback that was partly fortunate: in the first administration to the volunteers only half the dose was used, but in this way it was found that the effectiveness is greater. Problem: experimentation with this modified strategy (“half dose” in the first injection, “full dose” in the second) was concluded with an efficacy of 90% only among young volunteers (under 55 years), for the elderly there are results for the initial dose but with less efficacy (70 percent, as to justify elimination).
AstraZeneca must complete the “correct” experimentation, but to speed up the times and therefore start from January, a solution is envisioned. Guido Rasi, former director of the EMA, spoke about it in an interview with Repubblica: “The vaccine could be authorized in the meantime for those under 55. The tests involved heterogeneous groups of people. It may be that the EMA, numbers in hand, decide that a vaccine is suitable for a certain category and meanwhile approve it for that. The complex vaccination machine in Italy could save time and travel in parallel: in hospitals, with the guarantee of the cold chain, vaccinating healthcare workers and RSA employees and guests with Pfizer, then the elderly. The first supply of 1.8 million doses is insufficient, only 4.4 million exceed 80 and we will have to wait for a second shipment in February.
At the same time, in a more agile way, young people (under 55 years) can be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. They are less at risk, but their vaccines will limit the circulation of the virus. “We need to prepare the organizational machine down to the smallest detail, with the names and surnames and calendars that must be vaccinated, especially among the elderly. Among those who die every day, there are mostly seventy and eighty: the sooner we do it, the more lives we save ”, says Sergio Romagnani, emeritus professor at the University of Florence, former professor of clinical immunology.
Last updated: 22:13
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