The race for finding an effective vaccine against COVID-19 is getting intense with each passing day. More than 100 potential vaccines are being tested in different laboratories across the globe to combat the novel coronavirus. Looking at the success rate of the trails earlier it was estimated that vaccines for this deadly virus will be available by sometime next year. But recently an American pharmaceutical company affirmed that the people will not have to wait that long.
Also See: Coronavirus vaccine status: From 30 Indian COVID-19 vaccine candidates to latest developments in Moderna's vaccine, here is everything you need to knowAmerican drugmaker company Pfizer has claimed that a COVID-19 vaccine could be available by October end. The company’s CEO Albert Bourla, in an interview to an Israel online newspaper, said that “If things go well, and the stars are aligned, we will have enough evidence of safety and efficacy so that we can… have a vaccine around the end of October”
Pfizer is working with German firm BioNTech on several possible vaccines in Europe and the United States. Their vaccine named 'BNT162' is now being tested on humans after getting the necessary clinical approvals. Four RNA-based vaccines of this company are being tested on participants to figure out the most effective and safe one.
Apart from this, the report also quoted UK drug firm AstraZeneca's head Pascal Soriot who asserted that one or more COVID-19 vaccines could begin rolling out by the end of 2020.
AstraZeneca in partnership with the University of Oxford has developed a vaccine based on a weakened strained of adenovirus. They have combined Adenoviruses, which causes the common cold in chimpanzees, with the genetic material of the novel coronavirus spike protein.
Currently, US-based biotech company Modera Inc is leading the race of developing a potential vaccine for treating coronavirus. The company’s mRNA vaccine has successfully finished its stage 1 of clinal trials last week. They are all set to begin phase 2 of its clinical trials on 600 healthy individuals. The vaccine candidate of this drug-making company has shown assuring outcomes in producing protective antibodies against the virus.