Topline
The next generation of Covid-19 vaccine capable of tackling new coronavirus variants could be ready as soon as fall, the team behind the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine said Wednesday, as vaccine makers preemptively move to tackle rapidly spreading Covid-19 mutants that reduce the efficacy of existing vaccines.
AstraZeneca and Oxford University are working on developing a new Covid-19 vaccine capable of … [+]
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Key Facts
Studies have shown that some variants of the novel coronavirus could reduce the efficacy of vaccines, although there is strong evidence that they will still work very well and protect against severe disease.
Professor Andrew Pollard, who leads the Oxford group developing the vaccine, said designing a new shot is “very, very quick because it’s essentially just switching out the genetic sequence… or the updated variants.”
Manufacturing and testing could also be completed in a “very short period of time,” Pollard said, as large scale clinical trials would not be needed this time around and manufacturing plants would already be working at full speed.
Sir Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, said the company’s “ambition is to be ready for the next round of immunizations” that could be needed in winter.
“We’re very much aiming to try and have something ready by the autumn,” he added.
Pollard said it is an ongoing discussion with regulators as to what kind of data they would need to approve the updated vaccine, but said trials would involve “hundreds” of volunteers at the most because “the question is whether immune responses still look the same but against the new variants as they emerge.”
Key Background
While mutations are expected in viruses, experts keep their eyes peeled for any that might alter viral behavior. Several variants initially found tearing through the U.K., Brazil and South Africa appear to be more contagious, possibly more deadly and capable of evading the protection offered by existing Covid-19 vaccines. Vaccine makers believe this drop in efficacy is minimal but not insignificant. Moderna, Pfizer (which are being distributed in the United States) Johnson & Johnson and Novavax appear to be slightly less effective against the South African variant, though still offer good protection against serious illness.
Surprising Fact
Seasonal flu vaccines often have efficacy rates below 50%, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At doses licensed in Europe, the AstraZeneca vaccine is 62% effective and other Covid-19 vaccines—from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sputnik V—exceed 90%.
What To Watch For
Moderna are also developing a booster shot to improve immunity against the South Africa variant.
Tangent
A new study has found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could lead to a significant drop in the spread of Covid-19. As well as slowing the spread of the virus, scientists found a single dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is 76% effective in preventing symptomatic infection after three months of receiving the shot, a finding that validates the U.K. government’s current approach of delaying the second dose.
Further Reading
COVID-19: Vaccines against new variants should be ready by October (Sky News)
A New Variant Of Covid-19 Has Emerged In England – Here Is What It Could Mean For The Pandemic And Vaccines (Forbes)
Novavax Covid Vaccine Is Highly Effective Against U.K. Variant But Struggled In South Africa, Data Shows (Forbes)
AstraZeneca Vaccine Helps Slow Covid-19 Transmission, First Dose 76% Effective For At Least Three Months, Study Finds (Forbes)
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This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: www.forbes.com
