United Kingdom successfully secures doses of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine
- by Joy Garcia
- in Medicine
- — Nov 30, 2020
US President Donald Trump earlier announced that the delivery of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer in partnership with BioNTech will kick off next week.
The UK government said on Friday that it has formally asked the country's independent medicines regulator to assess the suitability of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for temporary supply, as soon as the company submits the necessary safety, quality and efficacy data.
The United Kingdom medicines regulator is now assessing two vaccines - one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Oxford University and AstraZeneca - to see if they are safe and effective.
The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine. The UK government expects the rollout of the vaccine before Christmas by skipping European Union regulators as it prepares for Brexit transitions.
Beyond that, it could also encourage other vaccine developers to re-examine their trials for any missed route to push up efficacy gains.
"Given the disparity of the point estimates, we do think there is likely to be a real difference in efficacy between the two dosing regimens, but this can't be proven until further data is accumulated to narrow these confidence intervals around the "true" efficacy value", analysts at Shore Capital noted. He also said the half-dose was given to some people because of an error in the quantity of vaccine put into some vials.
There isn't an approved COVID-19 vaccine just yet, but preparations are already underway for its distribution - including any extreme temperature requirements. These rates relate to vaccines administered and monitored in controlled circumstances, such as clinical trials.
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"However, we are going through the data that is available, and will make further statement, if needed", said the spokesperson.
"When the vaccine is approved, and released, the first trucks will depart to Malta".
The company is ready to "safely and effectively support" the vaccine transportation needs of its pharmaceutical customers, the spokesperson said.
But media in the United States and Europe say the volunteers in the group with an efficacy of 90 percent were mistakenly given a half initial dose of the vaccine.
The company said on 23 November that an interim analysis of its clinical trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil showed an effectiveness of 90pc when volunteers received a smaller dose of the vaccine followed by a standard second dose. Finally, and stranger: why did a smaller dose produce better results?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been in talks with state immunization officials to identify sites in each state where vaccine doses can be stored while awaiting FDA clearance.
