[Newsletter] Round-Up of COVID-19 Vaccine Updates: Week Commencing November 23, 2020

With the news on the novel coronavirus pandemic ever-changing, and the search for COVID-19 vaccines still continuing, it is difficult to stay on top of the goings-on of the vaccines in development. To help you stay on top of things, Nidhi Parekh of The Shared Microscope writes weekly updates on the vaccines alone.

Struggling to keep up with the goings-on of the COVID-19 vaccines?! We’ve got you covered! Check out our weekly COVID-19 Newsletter for the latest information on COVID-19 drugs and vaccines. #TSMUpdates #VaccineInfo #COVID19Updates

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COVID-19 Top Vaccines

There are currently 14 COVID-19 vaccines in the final phase of clinical trials. The final phase results of all these vaccines are currently awaited. For more information on the regulatory process for vaccines (which is a labyrinth), check out this post here.

1. The Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine

What is The Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

Earlier this week, the University of Oxford has announced that interim data show their COVID-19 vaccine candidate is 70.4% effective, and tests on using a two-dose regimen show that it could be 90% effective.

The wide range of the Oxford vaccine efficacy is somewhat confusing, and according to the BBC is because some of the volunteers received a lower dosage than what was required. If you want to learn more about vaccine efficacy, check out our post with Fancy Comma here.

The Oxford vaccine is cheaper than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines which have also revealed positive results in recent weeks.

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2. The Moderna Vaccine

What is The Moderna Vaccine And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

Earlier this week, Moderna confirms that the European Commission has approved an agreement to secure 80 million doses of their mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate, with the option to increase their purchase to a total of up to 160 million doses.

Similarly, the United Kingdom amends its supply agreement for an additional 2 million doses of the vaccine candidate. The UK Government has now secured a deal of a total of 7 million doses of this vaccine.

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3. Sinovac’s CoronaVac Vaccine

What is The CoronaVac Vaccine And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

According to an article published in Fortune magazine, officials in the world’s top COVID-19 testing grounds i.e. in Brazil, believe that the Chinese Vaccine Developer, Sinovac is the safest of all the vaccines evaluated in the country so far. 

We believe this is because none of the 9,000 participants in the vaccine trials have experienced severe adverse reactions, with the most reported side effect being mild pain in the injection site, headaches, and nausea.

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4. Cansino’s Ad5-nCoV

What is Cansino’s Ad5-nCoV Vaccine And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

There have been no new updates on this vaccine this week. For our most recent update, check out our post here.

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5. Unnamed Inactive Vaccine – Wuhan

What is The Inactive Virus Vaccine From Wuhan And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

According to the Guardian, Sinopharm has given almost a million people their experimental COVID-19 vaccines — the unnamed Wuhan Vaccine and the BBIBP-CorV. According to Sinopharm’s chairman, the individuals that received the vaccine had travelled to more than 150 countries worldwide, and “there has not been a single case of infection after inoculation”. 

Sinopharm has also filed an application within China to market both their vaccines before the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials.

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6. Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV

What is Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

According to the Guardian, Sinopharm has given almost a million people their experimental COVID-19 vaccines — the unnamed Wuhan Vaccine and the BBIBP-CorV. According to Sinopharm’s chairman, the individuals that received the vaccine had travelled to more than 150 countries worldwide, and “there has not been a single case of infection after inoculation”. 

Sinopharm has also filed an application within China to market both their vaccines before the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials.

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7. Pfizer and BioNTech’s BNT162b2

What is Pfizer and BioNTech’s BNT162 Vaccine And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

Earlier this week, Bloomberg and the Financial Times revealed that the UK may be the first country in the world poised to approve a COVID-19 vaccine — Pfizer and BioNTech’s BNT162b2. The UK Government has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, and may approve the vaccine “within days”.

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8. The Russian Gam-COVID-Vac

What is the Gam-COVID-Vac And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

Gamaleya has announced interim vaccine efficacy at 92%. Following this news, Russia has confirmed that the vaccine will be produced in bulk (100 million doses) by Indian generic pharmaceutical firm, Hetero.

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9. Novavax’s NVX-CoV2373

What is Novavax’s NVX-CoV2373 And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

There have been no new updates on this vaccine this week. For our most recent update, check out our post here.

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10. Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ-78436735/Ad26.CoV2-S

What is Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

There have been no new updates on this vaccine this week. For our most recent update, check out our post here.

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11. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s BCG Vaccine Trial

What is Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Doing?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

Phase 3 clinical trial results for this vaccine are still to be declared. Since the trials started, we haven’t had any updates on the use of the BCG vaccine against COVID-19.

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12. Bharat BioTech’s Covaxin

What is Bharat BioTech’s Covaxin And How Does It Work?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

India’s vaccine against COVID-19 is said to be at least 60% effective and it is expected to be rolled out mid-2021. There have been no updates on this vaccine this week.

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13. The Medicago-GSK Coronavirus-Like Particle (CoVLP)

What is Medicago’s Coronavirus-Like Particle (CoVLP)?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

There have been no new updates on this vaccine this week. For our most recent update, check out our post here.

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14. Anhui Zhifei Longcom and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Vaccine Candidate

What is Anhui Zhifei Longform’s vaccine based on?

For a quick one-paragraph rundown, check out our recent post here.

Latest Update

Last week, the Anhui Zhifei Longcom and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences joined the above vaccines in launching phase 3 clinical trials. There have been no new updates on the vaccine this week.

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