COVID-19 Vaccine Race: Who are the competitors and when will we be expecting to get our hands on a vaccine?
Generally speaking, the human race uses vaccines as a safety precaution. The purpose of a vaccine is to build up immunity in your body in order to prevent the contracting of various diseases. It seems that with the development of first generation COVID vaccines and the announced distribution dates in the near future, the vaccine is seen as a passport to freedom by most. When the vaccine is widely distributed, people will be able to leave behind lockdowns and travel restrictions and life will return to normality again: the desperate unifying wish of the entire population.
Nearly a year after the first ever case of COVID-19 was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccines for the deadly pandemic have been developed, tested and announced. Distribution is to be carried out in 3 stages: Stage 1 is the group of people who are given priority and will be the first to obtain the vaccine, healthcare and social care workers. These people have been working tirelessly on the frontlines of the pandemic, and with growing cases and deaths they have repeatedly put their lives on the line for others, therefore this 3% of the population should undoubtedly be given priority. Stage 2 is the group of people over 65 plus people with underlying health conditions who are vulnerable to the virus. Despite all age groups being at risk of contracting COVID, senior citizens are at a higher risk of severe damage due to biological and physiological changes as a result of age, suppressed immune response to the virus and a possibility of an underlying health condition. Immune systems grow weaker with underlying health conditions, and therefore this group of people have weaker facilities to fight the virus. Stage 3 of the distribution is the rest of the population. When stage 3 has been carried out, we will hopefully be able to return to our normal lives regardless of whether the virus still exists.
Ever since the virus was announced as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), scientists have been hard at work developing and testing vaccines. German company BioNTech, founded by Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, children of Turkish immigrants, hold the title of leading prospect for a worldwide vaccine partnered with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. A week ago it was announced that their vaccine was 95% effective in trials. BioNTech’s worth skyrocketed to $25.8 billion, and the vaccine they are developing isn’t just any normal vaccine. They use scientific technology that has never before been used in a vaccine: messenger RNA. This involves the injection of strands of genes into the body that instruct cells on which defence mechanisms to use against a virus. After successful data from the vaccine trial, the modest, hard-working couple made it into the list of Germany’s top 100 richest people. However, they informed the Guardian of how they “celebrated a little” before settling down to “cups of tea”. Prior to the hurly-burly of the pandemic, Şahin and Türeci had years of experience on mRNA when working on cancer research and therapies at their previous company, Ganymed and BioNTech. Even on their wedding day in 2002, the pair hurried to the lab afterwards to continue their work and discoveries. Şahin told the Wall Street Journal about how he announced to his employees that the company would start the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine, and how some of his colleagues were cynical of the idea. However, Şahin persisted. Pfizer, who had previously worked with BioNTech on a flu vaccine, were quick to volunteer for development and distribution costs. By then they had already developed 20 candidates for a vaccine for their Lightspeed program.
Another big-name candidate for the COVID vaccine, arguably more on top in the vaccine race than BioNTech, is Moderna, whose CEO is Stéphane Bancel. Preliminary data from their phase 3 trial of a COVID vaccine found that it was approximately 95% effective at preventing the illness. Bancel told Forbes that he “Couldn’t have expected better results.” Out of the people in the trial, 11 people in the placebo group contracted severe COVID, however no-one in the vaccinated group got severe illness. Much like BioNTech, Moderna also use mRNA technology in their vaccine, which seems to be the key to success when developing a COVID vaccine. Bancel claimed that some people in America may start getting vaccinated next month. They also began work on their vaccine in January 2020, and shipped their first batch for phase 1 study just 42 days later, an incredible speed. However, despite BioNTech and Moderna’s parallel success, Bancel feels that he is not in competition with anyone. ‘No one company can supply the planet. We need three or four vaccines to make it to the finish line… the success of Pfizer is a great thing for the world and for the country.’ Perhaps this lack of competitiveness comes from Moderna’s various partnerships with global agencies. They have entered talks and agreements with the US, the EU, Japan and Canada for the supply of COVID vaccines. In August, the Trump administration struck a deal for the purchase of 100 million Moderna vaccines for about $1.5 billion. Pfizer have done most of their research and trials privately, however Moderna have been working with the US government and Dr Fauci ever since January.
There are, however, fears that COVID-19 can mutate, which renders the current vaccines inefficacious. However, Moderna and BioNTech are confident that their mRNA technology will overcome these problems.
Also, one category where Moderna possibly beat Pfizer is refrigeration. New data shows that Moderna’s vaccine can be kept in a standard fridge for 30 days, as opposed to Pfizer’s, which must be stored at -94o Fahrenheit or approximately -60 C.
One of the most prestigious universities in the world, Oxford, is also developing a COVID vaccine with AstraZeneca Plc. A week ago they confirmed that their vaccine produced strong immune responses in older adults, and 4 days ago they confirmed that it was between 70% and 90% effective in stopping COVID-19. Unlike their competitors, Oxford have opted not to use mRNA technology, but a more common approach used in past vaccines with a slight twist. They use the spike protein gene of the coronavirus and insert it into a harmless chimpanzee virus. The chimpanzee virus is then genetically changed so that it cannot grow in humans. Then, cells produce millions of copies of the spike protein upon reading information from the gene sequence, and these copies stimulate the immune system to produce protective antibodies for a real virus: much similar to any other vaccine. Although this vaccine is definitely not as effective as its competitors, it has some advantages. Firstly, it is much cheaper than Moderna’s and Pfizer’s at under $4 per dose. This makes it much more accessible to the public and people from developing countries, which could be a huge factor in sales. It also doesn’t need to be stored at the cold temperatures that the other vaccines require, and can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures, making storage easier for medical workers. However, this vaccine still falls short in many areas such as the breakdown in infections, the durability, or the efficacy in the different age groups of trial participants.
One of this generation’s greatest thinkers and technologists Bill Gates has released his take on the vaccines in an interview with CNN’S Fareed Zakaria. "I'm optimistic that by February, it's very likely they'll all prove very efficacious and safe." With the development of various vaccines and their highly successful trial results, it looks like we are set to finally approach our normal lives, and overcome this pandemic.
Amidst all the criticism and curse flung at China, we must not forget their early contribution to the development of the vaccines. In the early stages of the pandemic, Chinese scientists released as much genetic information about the virus as possible. This was before the world knew about the human-to-human transmission of COVID. Without this, vaccine development would not have been possible, therefore we must acknowledge their contribution.
