As COVID-19 cases have begun to rise in not only some Indian states but also in countries like France, USA, a vaccine seems to be the only solution to bar governments of the woes of needing to mull virus tackling strategies and lockdowns over and over again.
And thankfully, in recent days, a number of firms, institutes have announced the effectiveness of their vaccines to tackle COVID-19.
Currently, there are as many as eight contenders that look promising in our fight against the novel coronavirus, and here is the list of the same.
1. Pfizer
Pfizer’s novel coronavirus vaccine, recently, was the first to release its interim report detailing the effectiveness of its vaccine after large scale trials. The pharma giant had shown efficacy of 95 per cent in the final analysis of clinical-trial data.
Further, in its Press Release, Pfizer writes that the “efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics. The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94%.”
2. Moderna
Moderna in its interim report has claimed to entertain an efficacy of 94.5%. With such a good result in its kitty, Moderna is now moving ahead with Phase III testing that involves 30,000 volunteers.
However, one thing to note is the fact that both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which use mRNA (messenger RNA technology), need a temperature of –60 to -80 degrees celsius to survive. Many countries, including India, lack such storage infrastructure.
3. Oxford-AstraZeneca
Many countries have their hopes stuck with vaccine AZD1222 developed by Swedish-British pharma major AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. As per a report released recently, the vaccine is 70% effective and can be stored at fridge temperature.
Also, the Oxford vaccine would cost about $2.50 a dose, which is way less than Pfizer’s and Moderna that would cost around $20 and $25 a dose respectively.
4. Sputnik V
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine entertains an efficacy rate of over 92%. Russia had announced the vaccine back in August for public consumption without completing the phase III trial and thus was criticised for the same.
However, Russia is now investing in the third phase of the clinical trial and the world hopefully awaits the results.
5. Covaxin
India’s very own Covaxin is currently in the middle of Phase III trial. As per the earlier reports, the vaccine delivered no side-effects and triggered a sufficient immune response.
6. Covishield
Covishield is being manufactured by the Swedish-British firm AstraZeneca and the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). The initial reports have shown that the vaccine was able to stop 70% of people from falling prey to the virus.
The good thing about the vaccine is that it has shown to be better tolerated in older adults than younger ones. The vaccine would sell at a price of $3 and is likely to be available by April 2021.
7. Zydus Cadila
Developed along with India’s Department of Biotechnology, Zycov D is a DNA vaccine. The vaccine, when tested on several animal species, showed a strong immune response. The vaccine is currently in the third phase of trials. It is likely to be launched by March next year.
8. Biological E
Hyderabad-based Biological E. Limited and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, are collectively investing to manufacture a vaccine that could get us out of the pandemic. The vaccine is a single dose vaccine unlike the vaccines mentioned above.
