Vaccines typically take years to develop
In a major breakthrough, the early-stage human trial data has revealed that the
coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is safe. German biotech firm BioNTech and US drugmaker Pfizer also reported that their experimental Covid-19 vaccine was safe and induced an immune response in patients. The latest developments raise hope as these could contribute to ending the pandemic, which has infected over 14.7 million people worldwide and claimed over 600,000 lives so far. More than 150 possible vaccines are being developed and tested around the world, including in India, Britain, China, the US, Russia and Israel to try to stop the pandemic. At present, 23 vaccine candidates are in human clinical trials. These include those of Moderna, AstraZeneca Plc, BioNTech, Novavax, Sinovac, CanSino Biologics and Inovio Pharmaceuticals.
Coronavirus treatment: Updates on coronavirus vaccine/drug development:
1. SII CEO says India may get Oxford coronavirus vaccine by October/November 2020
Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is hopeful of developing a
coronavirus vaccine by October/November this year, its CEO Adar Poonawala said on July 24. It has partnered with biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to manufacture the experimental
coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford.
It has also got the DCGI's go-ahead to manufacture its own indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine.
Poonawalla, during an interaction with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through a video conference, expressed optimism that the coronavirus vaccine could be ready by October-November this year and the next phase of the trial can start in mid-August in India.
Hotspots Mumbai, Pune to help test vaccine efficacy, says SII: The high prevalence of coronavirus infections in Mumbai and Pune will help test the efficacy of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, its local manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) has said.
By end of August, between 4,000 to 5,000 people in Pune and Mumbai will be injected with the vaccine as part of trials that are scheduled to last over two months, SII said.
2. Russia claims its coronavirus vaccine is ready for use
A Covid-19 vaccine developed with the Russian Defense Ministry completed Phase 2 trials, leading First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov to say the first domestic inoculation is ready for use.
A second group of volunteers ended Phase 2 trials Monday, with everyone developing immunity from the coronavirus and feeling fine, Tsalikov said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper published Tuesday. He didn’t say when Phase 3 large-scale trials would take place or when production of the vaccine may begin.
The early-stage human trial data has revealed that the Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is safe and induces immune response, with mild side effects in some participants, which scientists say can be treated with the commonly available pain medication paracetamol.
The preliminary results of the Phase-I and -II trials, published in The Lancet journal, involved 1,107 healthy adults, and found that the vaccine induced an immune response, both via antibodies and the T-cells of the immune system, up to day 56 of the ongoing trial.
Oxford had in April announced an agreement with the UK-based global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for further development, large-scale manufacture and potential distribution of this Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
While the Phase-I trial of the vaccine candidate began in April itself, the Phase-II and -III UK trials of the Oxford vaccine, named AZD1222, in about 10,000 adult volunteers, was announced in May.
4. Coronavirus vaccine update: Pfizer-BioNTech potential Covid-19 vaccine shows promise