COVID-19 vaccine: Early data on efficacy expected by mid-Sept; all you need to know

COVID-19 vaccines’ early data that could prove its efficacy and an eventual go-ahead for the manufacture is expected to come as early as this month, according to a report by a US-based analytics company that tracks drug trials. Airfinity Ltd revealed in a report that results for the human clinical trials of the experimental vaccine by AstraZeneca Plc will be declared mid-September as the US federal government asks the states to prepare for a coronavirus vaccine and make provisions to distribute it by November 1.

Meanwhile, US’s Moderna Inc. and the potential vaccine manufactured by the US-German partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE will shortly provide its results on October 22. China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine, the fourth candidate on record has also indicated to schedule the results shortly after the FDA meeting. 

Airfinity Chief Executive Officer Rasmus Bech Hansen in an interview with a Danish daily Finans said that the results would give a great idea about where the world stood in terms of their search for the COVID-19 vaccine. He also informed that the companies were progressing faster than anticipated, and the final results should be sufficient to introduce the vaccine to the world. Airfinity’s data has been based on the publicly available data on trial enrollment for the companies. While most vaccines currently under different stages of human trials have shown progress, there has been enough evidence of the experimental vaccines fighting the COVID-19 by creating a response in the immune system. 

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Letter related to distribution of vaccines

Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had stated in a letter dated August 27, accessed by AP, saying that the states “in the near future” shall expect a permit application from McKesson Corp which has a contract with CDC for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020,” Redfield wrote. Additionally, three documents that list timelines for when vaccines will be available were also sent to health departments, as per the AP report. “The COVID-19 vaccine landscape is evolving and uncertain, and these scenarios may evolve as more information is available,” the document mentioned. 

Meanwhile, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group Andrew Pollard said in a statement that the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine would be sent to regulators this year if the scientists and experts are able to cumulate positive data from the results. Pollard said that it may be possible that if the cases accrue rapidly in the clinical trials, the company could have that data before the regulators soon. 

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