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Significance of COVID-19 Vaccine Research Not Backed by Big Pharma

If the motto is to really win over the pandemic, the world needs a vaccine that is accessible by all, rather than one which is developed for hoarding by a few and profiteering by the pharma giants.
COVID-19 Vaccine Research

As the race for a vaccine against COVID-19 is on, the latest WHO draft landscape has reported that 26 vaccine candidates are in various stages of clinical trials. Out of these 26, six vaccine candidates are in the third stage of clinical trials with China having the highest number (3 out of 6). Most of these candidate vaccines are backed by big pharma companies such as Astra Zeneca (Oxford), Pfizer, BioNtech, Fosun Pharma, Sinovac and Moderna. The exception is Sinopharm, which is a state owned pharmaceutical company of China, though it also falls in the big pharma category.

The international media hype is focussed mostly on Oxford candidate backed by pharma giant Astra Geneca and US’s Moderna. But, there are several efforts worldwide that are neither backed by pharma giants, nor are they being conducted in the so called premier institutes of the world. This includes Turkey, Greece, Brazil along with other Latin American countries, to name a few. It’s worth noting that vaccine development involves lots of risk and financial support. Relatively weaker countries making efforts on their own without backing of big companies is praiseworthy and should be supported. If a vaccine developed in a weaker country becomes a success, then it would help that country to avoid relying upon importing from the well-to-do countries or their charity.

But, among the 139 candidate vaccines in the pre-clinical phase, meaning, not yet tried on human subjects, there are many independent efforts.

Country Developer Type of Candidate Vaccine
Turkey Ege University
  Selcuk University
  Erciyes University
  Ankara University
  Erciyes University
  Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center
  Bogazici University
  Selcuk University
    Bezmialem Vakif University
  Middle East Technical University
DNA Vaccine
  Inactivated virus
  Inactivated virus
  Adenovirus based
  Adeno5-based
  Recombinant S protein
  Peptide + novel adjuvant
  mRNA  
  VLP
Egypt National Research Centre
National Research Centre
  National Research Centre  
National Research Centre
DNA plasmid vaccine
  Inactivated whole Virus
  Influenza A H1N1 Vector
  Protein Subunit S,N,M&S1 protein
Thailand Chula Vaccine Research Centre
  
  Bionet Asia
  
  National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) /GPO, Thailand

  Chulalongkorn University/GPO

  Mahidol University/ The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO)/Siriraj Hospital

DNA with electroporation
  

  DNA Vaccine
  

  Inactivated Flu-based SARS-CoV2 vaccine + Adjuvant
  

  RBD protein fused with Fc of IgG + Adj.
  

  VLP + Adjuvant

Kazakhstan Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems
  Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems
Codon deoptimized live attenuated vaccines
  Protein Subunit
Spain IDIBAPS-Hospital Clinic, Spain
  IDIBAPS-Hospital Clinic
  

  Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology
  

  Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology

Non-Replicating viral vector
  

  mRNA
  

  MVA expressing structural protein
  

  Replicating Defective SARS-CoV-2 derived RNAs

India Bharat Biotech/Thomas Jefferson University
  

  Biological E Ltd.
  

  Aurobindo Pharma
  

  Gennova Biopharmaceuticals

Recombinant deactivated rabies virus containing S1
  

  Adjuvanted protein subunit
  

  VSV-S
  

  Self-Amplifying RNA

Nigeria Helix Biogen Consult/ Trinity Immonoefficient Laboratory. S-Protein (Subunit) + Adjuvant, E coli based Expression
Argentina University of San Martin and CONICET Protein Subunit
Denmark AdaptVac
  

  ExpreS2ion
  

  AJ Vaccines

Capsid-like Particle
  

  Drosophila S2 insect cell expression system VLPs
  

  S protein

Hong Kong University of Hong Kong Influenza vector expressing RBD
Brazil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz and Instituto Buntantan
  

  University of Sao Paulo

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz and Instituto Buntantan
  

  VLPs peptides/whole virus

Netherlands Wageningen Bioveterinary Research/Utrecht Univ. Newcastle disease virus vector (NDV-SARS- CoV-2/Spike)

All the data here are taken from the WHO draft landscape of July 31.

These are some of the vaccine research being carried out independently by some economically weaker countries. However, these countries require international help for accelerating their efforts, which might help end the monopoly of big pharma companies and also rich countries.

If the motto is to really win over the pandemic, the world needs a vaccine that is accessible by all, rather than hoarding by few and profiteering by the pharma giants.

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