Pharmaceutical companies “existing vaccines will be effective” in spreading corona strains

As the COVID-19 strain spread across the UK, vaccine companies began to verify the efficacy of existing vaccines. Each pharmaceutical company said that their vaccine would have a preventive effect on the crown variant, but it is a position that they will conduct additional research for an accurate diagnosis.

On the 9th (local time), a citizen wearing a mask passes Pfizer’s headquarters in New York City, USA, with the slogan “ Science will win. ” [AFP=연합뉴스]

On the 21st (local time), CEO Ugur Sahin (CEO) of Bioentech, Germany, who developed the vaccine with Pfizer, told German media Built TV for the next two weeks to confirm the efficacy of the company’s vaccine against the crown strain. Information gathering and investigation will be carried out.

he is It was suggested based on the amino acids contained in the company’s vaccine, saying there is “scientific confidence” that the vaccine will also have a preventive effect on the crown strain.


Corona 19 virus penetrates the human body while amino acids from the spike protein on the surface melt the cell membrane. Experts say that the crown strain spreading in the UK mutates into this spike protein, making it easier for human cells to penetrate.

“Our vaccine contains more than 1,270 amino acids, but only 9 of them have changed in the crown strain,” said CEO Sahin. “This means that 99% of the proteins remain the same.” The existing vaccine is said to affect the strain as well.

Ugur Shahin, CEO of Bioentech, Germany. [AFP=연합뉴스]

He is The ‘messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)’ technology applied to vaccine development will aid in the development of a new vaccine suitable for the crown strainEmphasized. The mRNA transmits viral genetic information to the human body and directs it to produce spike proteins. This is how harmless spike proteins act as antigens rather than viruses in the human body to activate the immune system.

“The advantage of mRNA technology is that you can start making new vaccines in a short time by mimicking the genetic information of the mutation,” Sahin said. “Technically, we will be able to provide a new vaccine in six weeks.”Expected.

According to CNN, Pfizer, which developed a vaccine in collaboration with Bioentech, said in a statement that “blood samples are being collected from people with COVID-19 immunity to confirm the immune response of the vaccine to the corona variant.”

Corona 19 vaccine developed jointly by AstraZeneca with the University of Oxford in the UK.[아스트라제네카]

AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company, with whom Korea has signed a formal contract, said the structure of the spike protein of the virus variant did not appear to have changed and it hoped that the efficacy of its vaccine would be maintained. According to Reuters, AstraZeneca launched a study on the efficacy of its vaccine against the virus strain on the 22nd.

AZD1222, a candidate for the AstraZeneca vaccine, trains the body’s immune system to recognize different parts of the spike protein and then removes the virus that has entered the body.

In this regard, AstraZeneca said that “AZD1222 contains the genetic material of the spike protein, but the change in the genetic code found in this strain does not appear to alter the structure of the spike protein.”He explained.

A laboratory at the University of Oxford in the UK, where the AstraZeneca and COVID-19 vaccine are being jointly developed. [AFP=연합뉴스]

The American pharmaceutical company Modena and the German pharmaceutical company Curebag also announced that their vaccine will also prevent the UK coronavirus. Moderna is expected to conduct additional experiments in the coming weeks. Curebag, which started a phase 3 clinical trial last week, said it is monitoring the mutation.

But in some There is also the caution that it is difficult to determine the efficacy of the corona strain vaccine. There is still insufficient information and there is the possibility of developing another variant.That’s why.

Christian Andersen, head of the department of genetics at the Scripps Institute in the United States, said of the effectiveness of the vaccine against the coronavirus strain: “It is not yet clear. We’ll find out in the coming weeks, ”he took a position to watch.

Reporter Lee Min-jung [email protected]