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New experimental corona vaccines from Moderna (MRNA-US) and Pfizer (PFE-US) have reported good news. Preliminary results show that the effectiveness is over 90%, raising hopes that the epidemic will soon see the end of the bright tunnel. The share prices of all companies have also risen considerably recently.
Moderna announced on Monday (16) that the effectiveness of the new corona vaccine reached 94.5% and the share price skyrocketed. Despite partial profit pressure, the final increase reached 9%. It closed at $ 97.30 per share and its market value rose to $ 38.5 billion. An increase of 3 billion US dollars overnight.
Not long ago, Pfizer announced last Monday (November 9) that the vaccine developed in cooperation with its German partner BioNTech was more than 90% effective, causing Pfizer’s stock price to skyrocket. The share price was $ 37 a share on Monday and the market value was $ 200 billion.
Efficacy and safety were initially shown to be approximately the same
There are many similarities between the two new candidate vaccines for the crown. The declared efficacy of the two vaccines is almost the same, with only slight differences in the numbers. Both have undergone large-scale clinical trials and are strongly supported by statistical data: Modern At least one dose was administered to 30,000 subjects and Pfizer administered a second dose to 39,000 subjects.
They both use mRNA therapy and different immunity assessments.
However, Raymond James analyst Steven Seedhouse said the effectiveness of the two vaccines was slightly different: Pfizer administered the second dose 21 days after the first and then measured efficacy after seven days; Modern seven days after repeated doses. To evaluate the effectiveness, the interval between two injections is 28 days, if symptoms appear, the diagnosis will be confirmed after 14 days.
Therefore, people who receive the Moderna vaccine have 14 days to develop an immune mechanism before being recognized as diagnosed.
Both vaccines use mRNA therapy (messenger RNA) and currently no approved vaccine uses this mechanism. The purpose of this therapy is to transform the cells of the body into factories that can produce vaccines. The vaccine instructs cells to make copies of the spike protein of the new coronavirus, mimicking the process of producing antibodies.
Seedhouse said the effectiveness of the two vaccines is roughly the same, and a clearer comparison can only be made after medical journals publish more detailed results.
The safety of the two vaccines initially appears to be good. Pfizer did not mention safety issues in its statement. Moderna provided a bit more detail, but there were no serious adverse reactions in the subjects. Approximately 4% to 9% of the subjects experienced common pain in vaccination subjects in general.
Warehousing and distribution challenges, Moderna is better than Pfizer
However, the differences in storage and distribution of the two vaccines are quite significant. Pfizer vaccines must be stored in an environment of minus 80 degrees Celsius, which means special refrigeration equipment used in laboratories or hospitals, which can be stored for five days; Instead, Moderna can be stored in an environment of minus 20 degrees Celsius, generally refrigerated. The equipment is sufficient and can be stored in the refrigerator for 30 days, much longer than the seven days originally estimated.
The difference in demand for refrigeration equipment means that Moderna is less difficult to store for developing countries.
Distribution situation
Pfizer has signed a preliminary agreement with the US government to provide 100 million doses, each priced at US $ 19.5. Moderna signed a contract with the United States government at a price of $ 25 per dose. In the future, he hopes to raise $ 30 per dose from the governments of other countries.
If a further review of the information shows that Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines prove to be safe, they both apply for an emergency clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Pfizer expects to get two months of safety tracking data in the third week of November. If it goes well, you can request an emergency use authorization this month.
Production capacity ratio
Both companies are expanding their production capacity. Pfizer expects to produce 50 million doses in the United States by the end of the year and 1.3 million doses next year, while BioNTech is conducting phase two trials in China and Fosun.
Moderna stated that it can produce 20 million doses in the United States this year and 50 million to 1 billion doses next year. Moderna collaborates with Lonza Pharmaceutical Factory in Switzerland and Rovi Pharmaceutical Laboratories in Spain.
Both vaccines require two doses, which means that the number of people who can receive the vaccine is half the production.
Unresolved issues in the fight against the epidemic
Scientists still face great obstacles in figuring out how to achieve herd immunity. It is not yet clear how long the protection of candidate vaccines can last, and it is also unclear how many people are willing to get vaccinated after the vaccine is released.
Medical experts worry that if doubts about the vaccine continue to mount, it could affect the final release. Furthermore, vaccine production and distribution remain challenges.
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