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It is not yet clear which pharmaceutical company worldwide will receive the first sufficiently proven and effective vaccine against Covid-19. At an early stage, Switzerland committed itself to a promising project: that of the American biotech company Moderna. The federal government insured 4.5 million cans for Switzerland. But while pharmaceutical multinationals in China and other countries report progress in the development of corona vaccines, Switzerland relies heavily on approval of the drug Moderna.
Production of the vaccine has already started on a large scale in the US, reports the “NZZ am Sonntag”. Moderna relies on Lonza production specialists to deliver quickly and in large quantities. “We always start large-scale production before final phase clinical trial results are available,” says spokeswoman Sanna Fowler. Due to the pandemic, everything will accelerate. With another production line to be added in Valais soon, 200 employees were hired.
Moderna and Lonza seem confident that approval will come in the foreseeable future. Otherwise, Switzerland threatens to remain a vaccine-free island in central Europe, according to the “SonntagsZeitung”. Neighboring countries would cover more widely, while the Bundesbern appears to be concentrating on Moderna funds. Consequently, the European Union has already secured 300 million doses of vaccines for its member countries. Individual EU states do not rely on a single vaccine project, but also place their own pre-orders from various suppliers. This is the case when clinical trials of a vaccine fail or when multiple vaccines per person are required.
Lonza negotiated the Moderna deal for the federal government
At an early stage, Switzerland opted for the gene-based Moderna vaccine, which the chemical and pharmaceutical company Lonza will manufacture at its Valais plant in Visp. Lonza negotiated the deal. Since the federal government decided to make the first deliveries, there is now a risk of negligence if another effective vaccine hits the market faster, or if Agent Lonza fails.
According to this, Switzerland ranks last among rich countries with its pre-orders, while the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) is delaying more pre-orders week after week.
“Switzerland seems quite passive, and you get the impression that those in charge want to see which vaccines are successful before ordering them, which is a very risky policy,” said Thomas Cueni, director of the international association of research-based pharmaceutical companies. . “Waiting could mean that Switzerland will have to be patient next year to receive a corona vaccine because capacities are limited,” Cueni warns.
Vaccine supplies will not be covered until 2023
According to the newspaper, the BAG said the evaluation was ongoing. There is no timetable, but they are “sure that we can guarantee the population timely access to a vaccine.” According to “NZZ am Sonntag”, the federal government has been in close contact with the responsible EU authorities for months.
The BAG has also signed a reservation contract with the Swiss start-up Molecular Partners. This has already negotiated a similar contract with the U.S. BAG decided to make a single-digit million dollar amount because questions would have arisen whether the biotech company, based in Schlieren, ZH, had been successful in delivering its funds to the America First and the Swiss would have been lost.
According to Cueni, it will take three years to create enough capacity to meet the global demand for Covid-19 vaccines. This is the reason that rich industrial nations complete various pre-orders from pharmaceutical companies. By doing so, they gain the right to be the first to receive the funds. At the same time, they finance development and the production chain. There is still the risk of losing the contract fee if a project fails. (kes)
