TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on – May 22, 2020, 11: 06 IST
01/11Coronavirus vaccine current update: Oxford vaccine failure to Moderna’s favourable results, here is the latest status of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs
The number of COVID-19 cases has crossed the shocking 5 million mark globally and has already resulted in more than 3 lakhs 30 thousand deaths. Due to the highly infectious nature of the virus and the fact that it can spread asymptomatically, the number of cases is certainly bound to rise. As a result, countries across the globe have teamed up to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus and currently, there are more than 100 potential vaccines in multiple stages of development.
02/11The current status of various potential vaccines
The World Health Organization has also recognised 7 to 8 frontrunners of these potential vaccines and underlined the need for accelerated efforts for the development of an effective vaccine fit for human use. However, it is important to note that even as experts and medical researchers work at breakneck speed to develop a possible vaccine, a traditional vaccine usually takes years to develop. Even with the accelerated efforts, a potential vaccine must go through a series of trials to tests its safety and efficacy and it may take more than 12-18 months for the same. This is because completing every step is necessary to deliver a safe vaccine. Here is the current status of various potential vaccines:
03/11RNA-based vaccine by Moderna Inc.
Touted as one of the front runners in developing a potential vaccine for novel coronavirus, US-based Moderna Inc. has already successfully completed phase 1 trials of its vaccine candidate. Its RNA-based vaccine is currently called mRNA-1273 which uses an alternative approach when compared to the traditional vaccines.
An mRNA vaccine carries the mRNA sequence which is the molecular instruction of making the viral proteins and instructs the cells to make it. The body will then produce antibodies to fight the novel virus. The mRNA-1273 vaccine being developed by Moderna Inc.contains the mRNA strand of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2.
The biotech company had recently claimed that trial conducted in March has yielded positive results on 8 people as they developed protective antibodies against the virus. The company is now planning a wide scale trial to further test the efficacy of the vaccine which is slated to begin in July.
04/11The Oxford University vaccine
The vaccine being developed by Oxford University uses a weakened strain of the common cold virus, known as adenovirus which causes infections in Chimpanzees. They have combined it with the genetical material of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine candidate was developed within 3 months and showed promising results in animal trials. However, recent reports have confirmed that the potential vaccine ‘ChAdOx1 nCoV-19’, ’was not able to prevent infection in rhesus macaque monkeys. As of now, the vaccine seems to be partially effective as it protected the animals from developing viral pneumonia but could not stop the COVID-19 infection.
05/11Sinovac vaccine
Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is all set to commence late-stage trials to test the efficacy and safety of its vaccine candidate PiCoVacc. This Sinovac vaccine candidate had earlier shown promising results in animal trials as it was successfully able to induce antibodies. According to the Chinese firm, the monkeys seemed largely protected in the trial which is published in the online server bioRxiv.