There are no first and laggards
Who will win the COVID-19 vaccine race?
Ekaterina Evchenko, Mednovosti
Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Pfizer and BioNTech pharmaceutical giants are working abroad. In Russia – the N. F. Gamalei Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, as well as the Vector Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology. How much are manufacturers ahead of their competitors and how much will coronavirus vaccination cost in different countries?
Russia
N. F. Gamalei National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology
At the end of July, Denis Logunov, deputy director of the Center for Scientific Work, said that scientists had developed a vector vaccine against coronavirus in just two weeks back in February, using developments in the creation of a vaccine for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Using the method of genetic engineering, the coronavirus spike protein gene was "sewn" into the genome of one of the types of adenovirus that is safe for humans. The adenovirus delivers the antigen to human cells and "trains" the immune system to recognize the virus. Currently, the drug is undergoing the first and second stages of clinical trials on 76 volunteers.
On the eve of the American TV channel CCN reported that Russia may become the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine. The publication refers to some Russian officials who named a specific date of registration of the drug – August 10. The first batch of vaccines is intended for medical professionals.
According to Nikolay Bespalov, development director of the RNC Pharma analytical company, the cost of the Russian coronavirus vaccine will be comparable to the price of a flu shot – 150-200 rubles per dose.
"Coronavirus needs to be vaccinated twice, so it needs to be multiplied by two," the expert said. He also added that the bulk of the drug will pass through public procurement, which will allow controlling the cost of the drug.
Novosibirsk Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector"
On July 27, the first of the five volunteers who started clinical trials of the Novosibirsk coronavirus vaccine received the first dose of the drug. Earlier, the director general of the scientific center Rinat Maksyutov said that three drugs were tested for the ability to form an immune response to infection: a recombinant vaccine based on the vesicular stomatitis virus, a recombinant vaccine based on the influenza A virus and a peptide vaccine.
"These are the most advanced drugs in terms of the results obtained," the head of Vector noted.
On Wednesday, Ilnaz Imatdinov, head of the Vector laboratory, announced that the commercial release of the vaccine is scheduled for the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
USA
Moderna
Last Monday, the American biotechnology company Moderna announced the launch of the final stage of large-scale clinical trials of a vaccine against SARS-Cov-2. 30 thousand volunteers will take part in the tests. The prototype of the vaccine was developed by Moderna specialists together with the US National Institutes of Health.
The experimental mRNA-1273 vaccine contains matrix RNAs of coronavirus proteins, to which the body reacts by producing a "harmless" protein that causes an immune response.
At the moment, the company is negotiating the sale of the drug at a price of $ 25-30. Since two doses are needed for vaccination, the course will cost $ 50-60, Financial Time reports. This cost is provided for the United States and other high-income countries, but it is unlikely to be final, since other vaccine manufacturers offer more favorable prices.
Pfizer and BioNTtech
On July 28, the American Pfizer and its German partner BioNTtech announced the start of global clinical trials of phase 2/3 candidate mRNA vaccine against coronavirus. It is expected that 30 thousand volunteers will participate.
When creating the drug, mRNA technology was used, which could potentially "train" a healthy immune system to produce antibodies to fight infection.
If the trials are successful, the vaccine will be submitted for official approval in October 2020. In this case, the companies plan to produce up to 100 million doses of the drug by the end of 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The pharmaceutical giants plan to sell the first batch at a price of $19.5 per dose. Thus, the Pfizer and BioNTtech vaccine will be a serious competitor to Moderna.
Great Britain
Oxford University
On July 20, the University of Oxford announced the successful completion of clinical trials of a vector vaccine, which showed that the drug causes a strong immune response and has few side effects. T-cells (T-lymphocytes) are produced within 14 days after vaccination, an antibody or humoral response – within 28 days.
The drug, which was developed by Oxford University scientists in collaboration with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, has the same mechanism of action as the Russian vector vaccine – chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1), safe for humans, is genetically modified to encode the thorny coronavirus protein. When it enters the human body with the help of a vaccine, it causes cells to produce protein and "trains" the immune system to recognize the virus.
At the moment, scientists have begun large–scale trials of the drug, which should prove the effectiveness of the vaccine, but the UK government has already made an order for the first batch of vaccines - 100 million doses.
It is also known that AstraZeneca has signed a deal with France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands to supply vaccines at a price of $ 3-4 per dose.
Imperial College London
Scientists at Imperial College London are working on the second British coronavirus vaccine. Back in January, researchers developed an experimental sample of an RNA vaccine using the genome of a virus that was obtained from China. The drug is a fragment of viral RNA that controls the production of a spike-like protein that helps the pathogen to penetrate cells.
Experts have "remade" this part of the genome in such a way that when it gets into a cell, it will begin to copy itself, as a result of which cells begin to produce a lot of spike protein molecules. They become immune irritants, as a result of which the body begins to produce many antibodies, creating an immune response.
Now scientists have started the second stage of clinical trials of the RNA vaccine, during which 105 people from 18 to 75 years old will be vaccinated. Three weeks later, the volunteers receive a second dose of the drug.
The timing of the completion of work on the vaccine and registration has not yet been called, its cost is also questionable.
China
To date, five types of coronavirus vaccines are being developed in China: inactivated (made from microorganisms), with recombinant protein, adenoviral, based on nucleic acids and live weakened influenza vaccines. With the exception of influenza vaccines, four types of drugs have successfully passed clinical trials in humans.
On June 16, specialists of the pharmaceutical company China National Biotec Group Company (CNBG) in Wuhan announced the successful completion of phase I and II clinical trials of another coronavirus vaccine. On July 16, the final stage of the drug trial in the United Arab Emirates started. The CNBG did not specify which vaccine it was talking about.
If the tests are successful, Chinese-made vaccines may receive permission for mass use as early as the end of October 2020. At the moment, CNBG is expanding its capacity for the production of vaccines.
There have been no official statements about the cost of the drugs yet, but on July 23, the chief sanitary doctor of Ukraine, Viktor Lyashko, said that the country's authorities had already received a "certain commercial offer" from one of the Chinese developers. According to Lyashko, the cost of one dose of the drug will be $ 20, taking into account that two doses will be needed for vaccination, the full course will cost Ukrainians $ 40.
On July 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the state is ready to provide Latin American and Caribbean countries with a loan of $ 1 billion for the purchase of a Chinese vaccine. According to the diplomat, thus vaccination against coronavirus will become "a public good of wide access."
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