Only a ‘small chance’ a promising coronavirus vaccine is ready by Christmas

[Chris Smith]

• The first coronavirus vaccine results might be ready in the coming weeks, but there’s no guarantee that immunization campaigns can start by Christmas.
• Oxford professor Andrew Pollard, a leading researcher on the promising COVID-19 vaccine developed with AstraZeneca, told UK Parliament that there’s only a “small chance” the drug is ready by Christmas.
• The UK is already conducting rolling reviews of coronavirus vaccine frontrunners, as is the European Union. But there’s no way to tell when and if any of the advanced drugs will receive approvals for emergency use.

Several vaccine frontrunners are close to the end of Phase 3 trials, at which point the drugmakers will know whether their experimental medications are effective and safe against the novel coronavirus. According to estimates, the final clinical trial results for at least three vaccine candidates will start coming in this month, with AstraZeneca/Oxford, Moderna, and Pfizer/BioNTech all expected to share news soon. The drugs that clear the efficacy and safety requirements will move forward to emergency use authorization processes and the first COVID-19 vaccinations might start before the end of 2020.

Considering the recent developments in the US and Europe, Pfizer looks like the most likely company to file for emergency use. Things are different in Europe, where both the UK and the EU are fast-tracking coronavirus vaccine research efforts. AstraZeneca had its Phase 3 study halted in the US for several weeks longer than in Europe after a safety incident in early September. That’s why the drug might be approved earlier in Europe than in the US. But an Oxford scientist thinks there’s only a “small chance” that immunizations campaigns can start before Christmas in Great Britain.

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Only a ‘small chance’ a promising coronavirus vaccine is ready by Christmas originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 4 Nov 2020 at 18:08:41 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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