Covid-19 Vaccine Development Tracker

Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making what scientists call a “viral vector” vaccine but a good analogy is the Trojan horse. The shots are made with a harmless cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees and carries the spike protein’s genetic material into the body. The body then produces some spike protein and primes the immune system. The shot is likely to provide protection for about a year, and the company is leaning towards a two-dose strategy for the potential vaccine. India’s Serum Institute said it will price the shot at $3 per dose for the country and other emerging economies. On September 9, AstraZeneca announced it is pausing the Britain trials after "unexpected illness" in a volunteer. It was resumed on September 12, but trials elsewhere remain on pause.

CoronaVac, formerly called PiCoVacc, is being made by private Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine uses an inactivated pathogen, meaning the virus is grown in a lab and then deactivated or killed. It’s of the three so-called “inactivated” vaccine candidates being developed in China. Results from Phase 1 and 2 trials show a promising safety profile. Phase 3 trials are underway in Brazil where Sinovac is partnering with the Butantan Institute.

The mRNA-1273 vaccine has been created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., which has never brought a product into the market. The vaccine requires two doses in 28 days and uses genetic material in the form of viral RNA to encode the information needed to grow the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inside the human body to trigger an immune response. The technology bypasses the need to manufacture viral proteins in the lab like traditional vaccines but has never been proven in a vaccine. However, during early trials conducted on monkeys, the vaccine induced a robust immune response. Moderna has also taken the unusual step of publishing trial protocols following calls for more transparency.

The ‘Trojan horse’ vaccine has been jointly developed by Hong Kong-listed CanSino Biologics and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, part of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, a research unit of the Chinese military. In June, the vaccine was approved to immunise the Chinese military ahead of final testing, making it the first approved for people, albeit in a limited population. Phase 3 trials of the vaccine were launched in Pakistan on September 22, and similar late-stage trials will also be conducted in Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The as yet unnamed "inactivated" vaccine is being developed by Sinopharm and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). The vaccine consists of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease-producing capacity. In contrast, live vaccines use pathogens that are still alive. The vaccine showed a "strong neutralising antibody response" in Phase 1 and 2 trials, according to a release from China National Biotec Group. The Phase 3 trial is currently underway in Peru, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.

US pharma giant Pfizer and German biotech company BioNTech’s BNT162 is not one vaccine but a programme consisting of a series of vaccines. Like Moderna’s candidate, the programme relies on messenger RNA, genetic code that slips into human cells to make them generate antibodies that are specifically tailored to the coronavirus. It produces antibody responses at or above the levels seen in any convalescent serum -- blood from people who have recovered -- at relatively low doses, according to BioNTech. In August, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their second vaccine showed fewer side effects than the first. Data from a large study on the second vaccine, named BNT162b2 or B2, is expected in October.

President Vladimir Putin declared Russia the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine and licensed the two-shot jab for domestic use in August, before any data had been published or a large-scale trial had begun. Named "Sputnik" after the pioneering 1950s Soviet satellite, the vaccine sparked concerns among Western scientists and the World Health Organization who warned that moving too quickly on a vaccine without internationally approved testing could be dangerous. The vaccine is among the 28 in clinical evaluation, but is listed by the WHO as only being in Phase 1. Results from early tests published on September 5, showed encouraging results but experts said the trials were too small to prove safety and effectiveness.

This is the second of Sinopharm’s two inactivated virus vaccines being tested. While the first one is in collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, this one is in partnership with the Beijing Institute of Biological Products. Phase 3 trials are underway in the United Arab Emirates where 5,000 volunteers are receiving the shot.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine was developed in the beginning of the 20th century to treat Tuberculosis. The randomised and controlled BRACE trials by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute aims to see whether the vaccine reduces the severity of the novel coronavirus symptoms. Researchers at the institute hope that improving people's "innate" immunity against Covid-19 symptoms would buy time to develop a specific vaccine against the disease. Similar trials are being conducted in several other countries including the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Indian vaccine-maker Zydus Cadila’s DNA-based shot targets the viral entry membrane protein of the virus. The company launched Phase 2 clinical trials among more than 1,000 health adults on August 6. In a regulatory filing in August, it said the vaccine candidate was found to be safe and wel-tolerated in an early-stage human trial. Zydus Cadila plans to complete late-stage trials by February or March and could produce up to 100 million doses a year.

CureVac is using a new technology based on mRNA, a type of genetic material never before used to make a vaccine. The process entails injecting a short sequence of viral genetic material to trigger an immune response by producing proteins acting against the virus. CureVac already made headlines earlier this year on reports that US President Donald Trump had sought to secure exclusive rights for the US to a potential coronavirus vaccine by the Germany-based biotech company. On August 14, CureVac made a stellar debut on New York-based Nasdaq stock exchange, surging 250% after raising more than $200 million in an initial public offering. The company has tied up with Elon Musk’s Tesla to build portable mRNA printers to help produce quick doses of the vaccine candidate.

While traditional vaccines are based on a weakened or modified form of the virus, the vaccine being developed by the Imperial College London is based on a new approach. It uses synthetic strands of genetic code (called RNA), based on the virus's genetic material. Once injected into muscle, the RNA self-amplifies, generating copies of itself, and instructs the body's own cells to make copies of a spiky protein found on the outside of the virus. Researchers say this should train the immune system against Covid-19. Phase I/II trials commenced on June 15 and a larger Phase III trial would be conducted later this year with around 6,000 healthy volunteers. The Imperial College London has tied up with Morningside Ventures to manufacture the vaccine through a new company called VacEquity Global Health.

Japanese biotechnology company AnGes has developed a DNA-based vaccine in partnership with Osaka University and Takara Bio. DNA vaccines are produced using an inactivated virus and can manufactured faster than protein-based vaccines. A combined Phase I/II trial is underway in Osaka University.

Like Moderna Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Arcturus Therapeutics’ vaccine uses mRNA, or messenger RNA, to inoculate against the coronavirus. The current trial, being conducted at the Singapore General Hospital, includes two parts that will assess the vaccine’s dosing, safety and effectiveness in participants, including older adults aged between 56 and 80 years. Arcturus in April said preclinical data showed the vaccine candidate could trigger an immune response to the virus.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidate, developed through a collaboration with Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, uses a common cold virus, called adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26), to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into host cells, where it stimulates the body to raise immune responses against the coronavirus. Johnson & Johnson had developed vaccines against Ebola and other diseases using the same Ad26 virus. The vaccine has provided protection during experiments on monkeys and hamsters. Initial human studies began in late July. The company entered final Phase 3 stage of clinical trials on September 24 following positive results in earlier stages. The trial will take place with 60,000 volunteers across more than 200 sites in the US and around the world.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developed the indigenous, inactivated vaccine candidate in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). In August, it received approval to conduct trials using the intradermal vaccine delivery route. Under this method, the vaccine shot is given in the dermis, one of the layers of the skin. Experts say the shot is less invasive, requires lesser dosage, and sometimes, helps the vaccine show better immune response. The vaccine is expected to be ready early next year. On September 12, Bharat Biotech announced that vaccine had produced "robust immune response" in primates during animal trials. Phase III trials are likely to begin in Punjab from October 15.

US drug developer Novavax makes “protein subunit” vaccines, growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles. There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so it’s not as novel a technology as some of its competitors. But it only recently finished its first-step study; the US government’s Operation Warp Speed aims for advanced testing later in the fall. On August 4, Novavax announced promising results from two preliminary studies in monkeys and humans.

Chinese company Anhui Zhifei Longcom’s vaccine is a combination of viral proteins and an adjuvant that stimulates the immune system. The vaccine candidate moved to Phase II trials in July and results of the Phase 1 trial are scheduled to be published by September 20. The company has partnered with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and has not yet revealed the trial design of the experimental vaccine.

Called Soberana 01 or Sovereign 01, the vaccine’s clinical trials kicked off in Cuba in August, with results due in February. Developed by Havana’s Finlay Institute, the potential coronovirus vaccine will be delivered in two injections during the trials that will involve 676 people aged between 19 and 80 years and conclude on January 11. The vaccine contains a part of the spike protein, called RBD, along with an adjuvant to boost immune response.

Developed by Siberia's Vector virology institute, EpiVacCorona is Russia’s second potential vaccine after Sputnik V. The vaccine contains small portions of viral proteins, known as peptides. The vaccine elicits an immune response after double administration with the interval of 14-21 days. Clinical trials are likely to be completed in September with distribution being targeted for year-end. According to TASS news agency, the vaccine may be registered by October 15.

The unnamed inactivated Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Medical Biology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences entered Phase II clinical trials in June. The institute is known for inventing vaccinations against polio and hepatitis A.

Inovio's vaccine, called INO-4800, is designed to inject DNA into a person so as to set off a specific immune system response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The medication is injected under the skin with a needle, then activated with a device that resembles a toothbrush, which delivers an electrical impulse for a fraction of a second, allowing the DNA to penetrate the body's cells and carry out its mission. Inovio's medication is the only DNA vaccine that is stable at room temperature for more than a year and does not need refrigeration for transport or storage for several years, its CEO has said. The company announced preliminary but encouraging results in June.

Genexine is testing a DNA vaccine candidate for Covid-19. The company began Phase 1 trials in June and aims to complete it in three months before moving to a multinational Phase 2 trial in the fall.

The mRNA vaccine candidate jointly developed by the Chinese military’s research unit, Suzhou Abogen Biosciences and Walvax Biotechnology was officially approved for clinical trial on June 19. It was the first Covid-19 mRNA vaccine to be approved for clinical trials in China. Earlier studies on monkeys reportedly showed protective effects.

Italian biotechnology company ReiThera, Germany’s Leukocare and Belgium’s Univer cells are partnering on a vaccine based on an adenovirus that infects gorillas. Working in collaboration with the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome, they launched Phase 1 trial at the end of July.

Chinese company Clover Biopharmaceuticals is collaborating with British drugmaker GSK and American company Dynavax to develop a vaccine containing a protein from coronaviruses. The vaccine candidate uses Clover's S-Trimer platform, GSK's AS03 adjuvant, and Dynavax's CpG 1018 adjuvant to stimulate the immune system. CEPI will support the manufacturing that could lead to production of millions of doses a year.

Australia’s Vaxine has developed a monovalent recombinant protein vaccine that combines viral proteins with an adjuvant that stimulates the immune system. Phase I trials were completed in July and Phase II trials are expected to start in September.

Canada-based Medicago, partly funded by cigarette maker Philip Morris, uses a species of tobacco to make vaccines. Medicago’s approach, already used in a flu vaccine awaiting Canadian approval, takes the leaves of a plant as bioreactors to produce one of the three spike proteins of the novel coronavirus, the S-spike, which can be then used in the vaccine with GSK’s adjuvant. In July, Medicago launched Phase 1 trials in combination with adjuvants from drug makers GSK and Dynavax. A single dose of Medicago’s plant-based vaccine candidate in mice yielded a positive antibody response after 10 days, according to a company release. The Phase II/II trial is likely to begin in October.

Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a molecular clamp vaccine candidate for Covid-19. The vaccine delivers viral proteins altered to trigger a stronger immune response. It helps the body better recognise the protein on the virus surface. The candidate has generated a neutralising immune response, according to a press release from the university. Phase 1 trials commenced in July in which proteins were combined with an adjuvant made by CSL. If Phase I results are encouraging, CSL will advance late stage clinical trials by end of 2020. The vaccine may be available by the end of 2021, according to a joint press release.

Another tobacco-based vaccine being developed by Kentucky BioProcessing, an American subsidiary of the British American Tobacco. Like Medicago’s vaccine, Kentucky BioProcessing’s candidate engineers a species of tobacco called Nicotiana benthamiana to make viral proteins. The company had earlier used the technique to make an Ebola drug. Phase 1 trial was registered in July.

The Taiwan-based vaccine maker is developing a vaccine made with a combination of spike proteins and an adjuvant from Dynavax. Phase I trial is set to start in September.

Researchers at West China Hospital of Sichuan University announced a vaccine in July made from the RBD region of the spike protein that could protect mice and monkeys. They got approval to run a Phase I trial on August 24.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi said on September 3 that it would start human trials of the potential coronavirus vaccine it is developing with British peer GSK, following promising preliminary tests. The vaccine combines leading technology from both Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. A protein-based vaccine owned by Sanofi and used to treat influenza was paired with a GSK-developed add-on, known as an adjuvant, that boosts the recipient's immune response. The firms hope to receive regulatory clearance in the first half of 2021 and take production capacity to a billion doses for distribution throughout the year. Both say they are committed to making the vaccine available globally.

American company Merck bought Austrian vaccine maker Themis Bioscience in June to gain its vaccine project that relies on a measles vector. The vaccine was originally developed at Institut Pasteur. Researchers launched a Phase I trial in August.

Kazakhstan researchers have developed a vaccine made from inactivated coronaviruses. On August 28, the Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems registered a Phase I trial of the vaccine named QazCovid.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is developing an mRNA vaccine with US start-up Translate Bio. The companies have been working together since 2018, hoping to leverage Translate Bio's work on new messenger RNA (mRNA) drugs that cause cells to create a specific protein for treating a range of diseases. On June 23, they announced they were planning Phase I trials in the fall.

Swiss company Novartis re-entered vaccine making in May, announcing a shot based on gene therapy treatment developed by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania. The US researchers aim to insert genetic material that makes up the new coronavirus’s “spikes” into a so-called adeno-associated virus (AAV), before injecting it into humans to provoke an immune response against Covid-19. Phase I trials are scheduled to begin in late 2020.

US vaccine developer Vaxart’s oral tablet contains an adenovirus that delivers coronavirus genes. Phase 1 trials are yet to begin.

US biotech firm Codagenix Inc’s potential Covid-19 vaccine is expected to begin early-stage human trial by the end of 2020 in the UK. The Pune-based Serum Institute of India will develop Codagenix's CDX-005, which is delivered intranasally rather than via an injection.