The latest word on vaccine trials
Moderna? Pfizer? Oxford? We've got you covered on all the updates
We’re back with another updated explainer!
On September 17th, both Moderna and Pfizer released their protocol for determining if their vaccine candidates are safe and effective, as well as details about how participants are monitored and the conditions under which the trial could be stopped early.
Pfizer has said that they hope to have results as early as November, while Moderna’s timetable estimates they will need until the end of 2020 or early 2021 to receive adequate data.
You can read more in our revamped vaccines explainer where you’ll also find a refresher on types of vaccines and the vaccine-development process.
We’ve pulled the biggest updates below, but if you’re in a hurry, below is our handy infographic that makes it easy to compare the Oxford/AstraZenca, Moderna, and Pfizer trials.
A group at the Jenner Institute of Oxford University in the UK is employing a chimpanzee adenovirus to make a COVID-19 vaccine (this is an example of a viral vector approach). On July 20th, they reported promising results of their PhaseI/II trial. The results indicate that their vaccine produces an increased antibody and immunological response, and that this response can be maximized with a second “booster” dose. The vaccine produced no severe side effects in all 1077 subjects (although mild side effects included fever and headache were widespread, researchers believe these can be managed with Tylenol). The results of these Phase I and Phase II trials confirm that the vaccine effectively induces a protective response and is safe, but they do not yet confirm whether the vaccine can prevent people from becoming infected with COVID-19. The vaccine has now entered Phase III trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the US. AstraZenca plans to enroll 50,000 volunteers globally, including 30,000 volunteers from the US — the largest enrollment for a COVID vaccine trial yet.
AstraZeneca believes that, depending on the results of the Phase II trials, they might be able to deliver emergency vaccines in October. They have produced millions of doses for trials and say that, if approved, the supply capacity will be nearly three billion doses.
The US company Moderna is developing a vaccine that delivers mRNA instructions for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to our cells. On May 22nd, they were the first company to report results showing that people who were given the vaccine produced antibodies against the virus. The results were widely interpreted as positive and sent stock prices surging. The full data was released on July 17th and showed that volunteers produced a promising immune response after a second injection spaced four weeks after the first. Moderna has entered Phase III trials and is working towards their goal of enrolling 30,000 participants in the US. Moderna has agreed to supply the US with 100 million doses if the vaccine is approved. The company is hoping to have vaccine doses ready in early 2021 (Read our interpretation of Moderna’s Phase II results here).
US company Pfizer and German company BioNTech are collaborating on an mRNA vaccine that has produced promising Phase II trial results. Like Moderna, they plan to enroll 30,000 Phase II trial participants in the US and are currently two-third of the way to this goal. They hope to have Phase III trial data ready by the end of October and state that if approval is obtained, they have secured manufacturing capacity for 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. There is speculation that this vaccine, along with the Moderna vaccine, might be available to certain groups in the US in late October or early November.
Notably, on September 2nd, the CDC outlined preparation measures for states to distribute “Vaccine A and Vaccine B” in late October or early November for high-risk individuals. Although the vaccines are unnamed, the details match vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer. Dr. Fauci and Dr. Hahn have both said that a vaccine may be available for certain groups of people before clinical trials are completed, depending on the data.
On September 17th, both Moderna and Pfizer released their protocol for determining if their vaccine candidates are safe and effective, as well as details about how participants are monitored and the conditions under which the trial could be stopped early. Pfizer has said that they hope to have results as early as November, while Moderna’s timetable estimates they will need until the end of 2020 or early 2021 to receive adequate data.
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