Chronicle of Malaysia

After the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech last Monday, they had finally produced the vaccine, which is over 90% effective against Covid-19, equity markets around the world immediately skyrocketed. But soon the rally in stocks fades as the vaccine is unlikely to hit the mass market quickly enough.

The new cases of coronavirus in the U.S. they are fast approaching 200,000 every day, while Europe has started its second wave of lockdown. As the saying goes, distant water won’t help put out a nearby fire. Global economies need a quick fix, something the Pfizer vaccine failed to deliver, despite encouraging initial results from a phase 3 clinical trial.

Both companies said they will undergo emergency use authorization to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shortly after having two months of data. More importantly, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to produce up to 50 million doses of vaccines by 2020, and at best 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. Therefore, only some privileged countries or individuals would get it first.

Not make mistakes. Despite the efforts of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to claim the credit, it was the German company BioNTech who developed the vaccine. Pfizer did not even receive funding from Trump’s Operation Warp Speed ​​for the development or clinical trial, much less for the manufacture of the vaccine. Instead, the German government donated $ 445 million for the development of the vaccine.

The Trump administration agreed in July to pay nearly $ 2 billion for 100 million doses, with the option to purchase up to $ 500 million more. The commitment to purchase a proven vaccine essentially places Americans among the first in line to get a highly requested vaccine. Pfizer’s role is to handle its own delivery of its products in the United States.

That explains why some Republicans, including President Donald Trump, almost questioned when Pfizer released its positive data. a week later the United States presidential election. If the good news had been revealed earlier, before the November 3 election, the election results could have been different and Joe Biden could have lost to Trump.

Meanwhile, the European Union will receive 200 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with the option of the European Commission requesting an additional 100 million doses. Under the EU agreement, the bloc of 27 European countries will pay less than $ 19.50 per jab. By comparison, the US agreed to pay a higher price: more than $ 19.50 per injection, for its 100 million doses.

Simply put, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is based on genetic material called mRNA. The vaccine introduces mRNA into the human body, causing human cells to produce a “spike protein.” As a result of these proteins, the human body produces antibodies to protect itself against coronavirus infection, creating a immune system. But there is a big problem with this vaccine.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Needs Specialization freezers as it should be stored at about -70º Celsius (-94º Fahrenheit). It simply means that supply and distribution will not be available in all countries, much less poor people living in rural areas. If the vaccine is not stored in very cold freezers, which cost about $ 10,000 each, the mRNA can break down, rendering the vaccine unusable.

Therefore, the announcement that Moderna has another vaccine against the Coronavirus which is 94.5% effective, clearly more effective than Pfizer’s, is actually a game changer. Like the Pfizer-BioNTech solution, Moderna’s vaccine also uses messenger RNA or mRNA technology. Moderna also said it plans to apply for an emergency use authorization from the U.S. FDA in “the next few weeks.”

More importantly, Moderna’s announcement on Monday (November 16) says its vaccine remains stable at 36º to 46º Fahrenheit (2º to 8º Celsius), the temperature of a standard medical refrigerator – up to 30 days. If stored at negative 4º Fahrenheit (-15.5º Celsius), the vaccine can be stored for up to 6 months. At room temperature, the vaccine is stable for up to 12 hours.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines involve two doses, 28 days apart. Still, while both vaccines work for people of different ages and ethnicities, it’s unclear how long. immunity will last. Also, it is also not known whether the vaccine simply prevents people from getting seriously ill or whether it also prevents them from spreading the virus. Side effects included fatigue, headache, or pain.

However, Moderna’s vaccine is more expensive, saying it was being charged between US $ 32 and US $ 37 per dose for some customers, even under the so-called “cheapest pandemic price”. Interestingly, Russia has also claimed its “Sputnik V”The vaccine is 92% effective, although its price is expected to be lower than the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.

Moderna expects to have approximately 20 million doses of the vaccine ready to ship to the United States.S. by the end of the year, and on track to manufacture 500 million to 1 billion doses globally in 2021. In August, the Trump administration agreed to buy 100 million doses of vaccine manufactured by Moderna, with the option to purchase up to 400 million additional doses.

Unlike Pfizer, Moderna has one US dollar.525 billion contract to provide the United States with 100 million doses of the vaccine through Operation Warp Speed (Inspired or copied from Star Trek science fiction), Trump’s fast-track program to create Covid-19 vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics by the end of the year.

Data collected by researchers from the Duke University Center for Global Health Innovation shows that 9.5 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have already been reserved, and half of the purchases were of high-income countries. Obviously, the availability is not fair. The United States alone has ordered more than a billion doses from half a dozen pharmacists.

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