As the coronavirus pandemic's spread remains constant and steady in areas all around the world, over 100 companies are trying to do the impossible by speeding up the process to develop and study a vaccine. Three potential vaccines from five different organizations published data results for clinical trials on Monday, keeping in check with promised timelines to develop and mass produce a coronavirus-combatting drug by late-2020/early-2021. Those three vaccines come from the partnership of AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca/ Oxford University
In its highly anticipated report, interim results for AstraZeneca/Oxford University Phase1/2 clinical trial showed that the pair's potential coronavirus vaccine (AZD1222) produced promising immune responses and was well tolerated by participants. Published in the medical journal The Lancet, the blinded, randomized, and controlled study included 1,077 healthy participants, aged 18-55, with most only receiving a single dose, while 10 received two one month apart.
The results concluded that a single dose of AZD1222 produced a high amount of COVID-19 antibodies in 95% of participants one month after injection. In addition, all participants produced a T-cell response that lasted two months after injection. Neutralizing antibodies were also seen in 91% of participants after one month, and in 100% of those who received two doses, with antibodies levels similar to those seen in patients who survived incCOVID-19 infection.
"The immune system has two ways of finding and attacking pathogens--antibody and T cell responses," Oxford professor and co-lead Andrew Pollard said in an earlier release, quoted by CNBC. "This vaccine is intended to induce both, so it can attack the virus when its circulating in the body, as well as attacking infected cells. We hope this means the immune system will remember the virus, so that our vaccine will protect people for an extended period."
Late-stage clinical trials for the candidate are already being conducted in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, with more to begin in the United States shortly. Those trials will determine how well the vaccine can protect an individual from COVID-19 infection and includes a broader range of participants.
On Monday, the World Health Organization was impressed by the newly published report on the partnership's potential vaccine, with Dr. Mike Ryan, head of emergencies, stating during a press conference: "It is good news. In generating T-cell responses and generating neutralizing antibodies, this is a positive result. But again, there is a long way to go. We now need to move into larger-scale real-word trials."
CanSino Biologics
Chinese drugmaker CanSino Biologics also published in positive results for their potential coronavirus vaccine in The Lancet on Monday, demonstrating that their candidate is also safe and produced an immune system response in most participants.
In the randomized, double-blind, controlled mid-stage study, CanSino's candidate, Ad5-nCOV, was tested on 508 participants, over 18-years-old, using one dosage of a modified common cold virus to elicited both an antibody and T-cell immune responses, similar to AstraZeneca/Oxford's vaccine.
Researchers found that the immune responses to the virus were divided, with half of participants producing a high amount and the other half producing a lower amount, no matter the dosage amount. While more research needs to be done, the study's leads concluded that multiple injections more be needed for older patients who were more likely to produce inadequate immune responses.
Pfizer/BioNTech
Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday released additional data from their early-stage study for their potential COVID-19 vaccine in Germany, also noting that it produced a high leave of T-cell responses in participants. The trial was similar to the one conducted earlier in the United States. The study tested 60 healthy individuals with two doses of the candidate.
"These interim results for the German study, combined with initial data from the U.S. study, highlight the potential of the mRNA-based vaccine approach and represent an important step forward in our development efforts for the BNT162 program," Pfizer Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Research & Development Dr Kathrin Jansen stated in a release.
Total Global Cases: 14.8 Million
Total Deaths: 612,000
Total Recovered: 8.89 million
