The UK on Wednesday approved its second Covid-19 vaccine for distribution. The newly approved vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, costs less and is easier to store than the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, which received similar approval in the UK on 2 December.
Officials said the benefits of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine could accelerate the vaccination effort as the UK comes up with a new, more transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
“This approval means more people can be protected against this virus and help save lives,” said June Raine, chief executive of the UK Health Regulator, the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Health Products.
The UK aims to vaccinate 1 million people a week and move to a more aggressive vaccination schedule, according to the New York Times. The country will administer the first dose of vaccine to ‘as many people as possible’, rather than keeping supplies in reserve to ensure that everyone receives a second dose, as other countries, including the United States, have done so far.
The high stability and low cost of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine can also be a boon for less wealthy countries. If its effectiveness is high – and if the vaccine spreads quickly – it can save countless lives. However, some ongoing questions about the results of clinical trials for this vaccine hold it back from approval in the US, which is conducting its own trials on the efficacy of the vaccine.
Why the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine differs from those developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna
In the United Kingdom, the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is approved for people over 18 years of age and is usually administered as two doses four to twelve weeks apart. It costs $ 3 to $ 4 per dose and can be stored in regular refrigerators. By comparison, the Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines that have received emergency use permits in the US cost between $ 15 and $ 25 per dose and require freezers. The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in particular needs cool storage at minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit) or lower.
The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine also uses a different technology than the Covid-19 vaccines approved so far. The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use a molecule called mRNA as their platform to give the instructions to become part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Oxford and AstraZeneca used another innovative method to reprogram another virus to transmit DNA instructions for making parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The use of another virus to pack and deliver genetic material helps keep the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine stable, even at higher temperatures.
However, Oxford and AstraZeneca experienced problems in their clinical trials, including a dosing error that resulted in one group receiving less than a full dose for their initial uptake. So far, its efficacy seems to be lower than that of the Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines, although it is well above the 50 percent threshold set by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for vaccination. has.
But the actual efficacy value remains unclear and ranges between 70 percent and 90 percent efficiencies to prevent Covid-19. And Oxford and AstraZeneca were raving about certain details surrounding their research.
One reason why the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved in the UK but not in the US is that UK regulators are evaluating clinical trial data on an ongoing basis. The FDA prefers to have more complete trial data. In the US, clinical trials with the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine are still being conducted.
During a press conference on December 30, Moncef Slaoui, the scientific leader for the US government’s Operation Warp Speed, said it could take months for the US to give the green light to this vaccine. “We plan, if all goes well, that the lecture and emergency use authorization can be granted somewhere in early April,” Slaoui said.
But as in the UK, the distribution of Covid-19 will help make another vaccine available in the US, especially cheaper and easier to store. The US government has already invested $ 1.2 billion in the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine and has pledged to buy 300 million doses.