Ive here. While the manufacturing advantages of Corbevax seem obvious and well explained in this article, I’m not quite sure what the vaccine mechanism means for patients. European medical regulators, for example, have warned against frequent boosting of the immune system, which could overburden it. via Bloomberg:

EU regulators have warned that frequent Covid-19 booster shots could adversely affect immune responses and may not be feasible. Repeated booster doses every four months could eventually weaken the immune response and tire people out, according to the European Medicines Agency.

So the key question is:

1. Does Corbevax have the same immune system requirements as current mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines?

2. Does its initial immunization last at least as long?

3. Will its booster be better than the current one?

Scientist GM reviews where we are now:

By the way, almost everyone is currently not vaccinated by the definition of an approved vaccine.

At least for the first few months, these 3 injections worked better than I feared against the severe consequences.

But the endpoint of the phase III trial is “symptomatic COVID.” CureVac was rejected because it was 47% because it was tested against Mu, Lambda, Delta, and Beta, not WT (Pfizer, Moderna, AZ, and J&J got in fast enough before the variant appeared).

Well, guess what? For patients taking 3 doses of Pfizer after just 10 weeks, the VE for “symptomatic COVID” is currently below 50%.

And those who used Pfizer twice doze off less than 50 percent within 6 weeks of the second injection.

VE peaked at 75% for 3 doses of Moderna one month after the 3rd dose, and then it also declined.

So basically we have very little vaccine right now – 2-3 months after the third dose, a month after the second dose.

The data from Israel is from the 4th injection – while the 3rd injection did improve overall immunity, the 4th injection only returned antibody levels to levels seen after the 3rd injection.

So please curb your enthusiasm.

By Maureen Ferran, associate professor of biology at Rochester Institute of Technology.Originally Posted in dialogue

The world now has a new COVID-19 vaccine at a fraction of the cost per dose.

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen Global infections surpass 314 million, deaths surpass 5.5 million. About 60% of the world’s population Have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But clear and worrying gaps remain in global access to these vaccines.as a virologistThose of you who are watching this pandemic closely, I think this vaccine inequality should be of serious concern to everyone.

If the world has learned anything from this pandemic, it’s that viruses don’t need passports.However, about 72% of vaccine doses are administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries—and Only 1% in low-income countries. rich country Boosters are being given, even fourth doses, and many people around the world don’t have access to the first and second doses.

But there is hope for a new vaccine called CORBEVAX will help close this vaccination gap.

How does the CORBEVAX vaccine work?

all COVID-19 vaccine Teach the immune system how to recognize viruses and prepare the body to attack.This CORBEVAX vaccine Is an protein subunit vaccine. It uses a harmless spike protein fragment from the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to stimulate and prepare the immune system for future exposure to the virus.

Unlike the three vaccines approved in the US — mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s viral vector vaccine, which provides the body with instructions on how to produce the spike protein – CORBEVAX delivers the spike protein directly to the body.Like other approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, CORBEVAX also requires two doses.

How was CORBEVAX developed?

CORBEVAX by Texas Children’s Hospital Vaccine Development Center At Baylor College of Medicine, Ph.D. Maria Elena Botazzi and Peter Hotez.

During this period 2003 SARS outbreak, the researchers created a similar type of vaccine by inserting a portion of the genetic information from the SARS virus spike protein into yeast to produce large amounts of the protein.The viral spike protein was isolated from yeast and added adjuvant, which helps trigger an immune response and the vaccine is ready to use.

The first SARS epidemic was short-lived, and Bottazzi and Hotez’s vaccine was hardly necessary—until SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, emerged in 2019.So they redesigned the vaccine and updated the spike protein to match SARS-CoV-2, creating CORBEVAX vaccine.

A large clinical trial in the United States found that the vaccine was Safe, well tolerated and more than 90% effective Prevent symptomatic infections.Vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization In India, other developing countries are expected to follow suit.

Interestingly, Baylor’s group is Inability to generate interest or raise funds in the US for their vaccines.Instead, newer technologies such as mRNA vaccines are getting a head start, although Bottazzi and Hotez’s vaccine designs are more advanced, thanks to their Previous work during the 2003 SARS and 2012 MERS outbreaks.

Vaccines for the world

The advantage of protein subunit vaccines compared to mRNA vaccines is that they can easily use mature recombinant DNA technology This is relatively cheap and fairly easy to scale up.A similar protein recombinant technology that has been around for 40 years has been used for Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine,Right now Available in 170 countries, and Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine.

This vaccine can be mass-produced because Appropriate manufacturing facilities are already available. Another key to global access is that CORBEVAX can Store in a regular refrigerator. As a result, millions of doses can be produced quickly and distributed with relative ease. In contrast, Production of mRNA vaccines are more expensive and complex because they are based on newer technology, rely on highly skilled workers, and often require Ultra-low temperature For storage and transportation.

Another major difference is that the CORBEVAX vaccine is used Considering global access to vaccines. The goal is to use a well-tested and safe method to create a low-cost vaccine that is easy to manufacture and ship.The key to this, the researchers No concern for intellectual property or financial interests. The vaccine was produced without substantial public funding; this $7 million Philanthropists provide what is needed for development.

COBREVAX is currently Patent-free license India’s largest vaccine maker BioE. Limited (BioE) plans to produce At least 100 million monthly doses starting in February 2022This patent-free arrangement means other low- and middle-income countries can locally manufacture and distribute this cheap, stable and relatively easy-to-scale vaccine.

Combined, this means that CORBEVAX is One of the cheapest vaccines currently available. how well it works Micron variant Under investigation.However, the CORBEVAX story can use as a model Addressing vaccine inequities at a time when it is necessary to vaccinate the world’s population – against COVID-19 and other emerging diseases.

The need for vaccine equity

Many reasons Global access to vaccines is unfair. For example, governments in rich countries buy vaccines ahead of time, which limits supply. While developing countries do have vaccine production capacity, low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America still need to be able to afford the cost of placing orders.

The Indian government has ordered 300 million doses of CORBEVAX, BioE plans to produce over 1 billion dosesfor people in developing countries.For context, the United States and other G7 countries have pledged to donate Over 1.3 billion doses of COVID vaccine, but only 591 million delivered. These numbers imply that if BioE can produce 1.3 billion doses of CORBEVAX as planned, the vaccine will Reached more people than those vaccinated through donations and deliveries in the wealthiest countries.

as Micron variant It has been shown that new variants can spread rapidly around the world and are more likely develops in unvaccinated people and keep appearing As long as global vaccination rates remain low.it is booster unlikely will end this epidemic. Instead, developing a globally accessible vaccine like CORBEVAX represents an important first step in vaccinating the world and ending this pandemic.