Vaccine check: Biontech, Moderna, Curevac, Astrazeneca, Johnson & Johnson

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, people and pharmaceutical companies have been dreaming of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Biontech, Curevac, Moderna, Astrazeneca and Co. are working flat out on corona vaccines. Some vaccines have already been used in Germany. We provide information on manufacturers, share prices, vaccinations and problems.

Corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer: Comirnaty

Mainz-based Biontech and pharmaceutical company Pfizer said in November 2020 that their vaccine offered 95 per cent protection against Covid-19 disease and that no serious side effects had been recorded. The approval was prompt and vaccinations are already being given. In early April 2021, the company lowered the efficacy to 91.3 per cent. This is about preventing corona disease.

• The vaccine BNT162b2 (brand name: Comirnaty) had been developed by Biontech in the “Lightspeed” project since mid-January 2020. The phase 3 trial, which is crucial for approval, began from the end of July 2020 in various countries.

According to the manufacturer, data on whether the vaccine not only protects against the Covid-19 disease but also prevents infection with SARS-CoV-2 will be available in early 2021. Israel, in particular, is supporting Biontech with data in return for enough vaccine. In addition, according to the Tagesschau report, Israel pays 23 euros per dose compared to twelve euros on the part of the EU.
• A vaccination protection is achieved one week after the second injection, according to the manufacturers.
• The Corona vaccine was subject to an accelerated approval process. Drug manufacturers were able to submit individual parts on the quality, safety and efficacy of a preparation to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) even before the complete marketing authorisation application.
• The Biontech preparation is an RNA vaccine. It contains genetic information from the pathogen, which the body uses to make a virus protein – in this case, the surface protein that the virus uses to enter cells.
• The aim of vaccination is to stimulate the body to make antibodies against this protein to catch the viruses before they enter cells and multiply.
• Biontech and Pfizer expected to sell up to 50 million doses of the vaccine worldwide in 2020, and in 2021 they calculate they will sell up to 1.3 billion doses.
• The pharma duo applied for emergency approval for their vaccine from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 21 November 2020. The criteria for FDA emergency approval are not very demanding. Roughly speaking, it has to be proven that a drug or vaccine helps more than it harms – but this does not only apply to Biontech/Pfizer.
• 11 December 2020: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency approval to the Corona vaccine produced by the Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer. As a result, the United States immediately began vaccinations against the corona virus.
• Biontech-Pfizer applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for approval of its Corona vaccine in the EU on 30 November 2020.
• 21 December 2020: EMA recommends conditional marketing authorisation for Biontech and Pfizer’s Corona vaccine in the EU. The EU Commission immediately granted marketing authorisation for the vaccine.
• 26 December 2020: One day before the nationwide start of the Corona vaccinations, the first senior citizens have been immunised in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt. At the Krüger senior citizens’ centre, 101-year-old Edith Kwoizalla received the first vaccination.
• 01 January 2021: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also given the green light for the Corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer to be used in several countries, following its approval. On New Year’s Eve, the drug received emergency approval.
• “This is a victory for innovation, science and global collaboration,” said Biontech co-founder Ugur Sahin, who is one of the 500 richest people in the world as of December 2020.
• Sahin had initially referred to the official order for his own vaccination, but then got himself vaccinated with Comirnaty on 18 March 2021, as did his founding partner Özlem Türeci and the entire team
• According to the manufacturer, the vaccine is also effective against the coronavirus variants discovered in the UK and South Africa.
• 21 February 2021: The Corona vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer prevents severe disease progression or death at a rate of around 99 per cent after the second vaccination, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health. According to the study, 95.8 per cent of Corona cases were prevented, 98 per cent of symptoms were prevented and about 99 per cent of hospitalisations, severe illnesses and deaths were prevented. The degree of effectiveness of the vaccine was measured 14 days after the second vaccination.
• Israel’s Corona commissioner Nachman Asch said the data should be taken with a grain of salt: “We don’t know enough about infections yet, that’s the big unknown.” He said it was clear that vaccination prevented severe disease progression. “But I don’t know to what extent it prevents vaccinated people from carrying the virus and passing it on.” He said he hoped more would be found out about this in the coming weeks.
• The vaccination campaign in Israel is very advanced compared to other countries. The country with its 9.3 million inhabitants is considered a pioneer. The government plans to offer vaccination to all residents of the country over the age of 16 by the end of March.
• 31 March 2021: Biontech/Pfizer says its vaccine also protects 12- to 15-year-old teenagers from covid 19 disease. This is what their new study has found, they say. Biontech and Pfizer say they plan to submit the data to the EU regulatory agency EMA and its US counterpart FDA in the coming weeks. So far, there is only conditional approval in the EU for people aged 16 and over.
• 01 April 2021: According to the manufacturer, new data confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine, but the protective effect had to be lowered somewhat. According to this, the effectiveness in the study period from seven days to six months after the second vaccination dose is now 91.3 per cent – originally 95 per cent was claimed. This is about the prevention of corona disease. The data come from more than 12,000 vaccinated volunteers who received their second vaccination more than six months ago.
• 12 April 2021: Biontech and Pfizer’s Corona vaccine protects less well against the South African coronavirus variant than against other variants, according to an Israeli study.
• April 26, 2021: A preliminary study has apparently shown “dozens of cases” of myocarditis in vaccinated people given the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine. Now the Israeli Ministry of Health is investigating these cases. Mainly these cases occurred after the second dose, said the coordinator for pandemic control, Nachman Ash.
• 10 May 2021: Biontech triples quarterly profit to over one billion euros
• 11 May 20221: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved the Corona vaccine from German manufacturer Biontech and its US partner Pfizer for children and adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.
• June 28, 2021: The vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna could protect against corona for years, according to a new study by scientists at Washington University in St. Louis. The findings support existing evidence that most people immunised with the mRNA vaccines will not need a booster as long as the virus and its variants do not evolve significantly beyond their current form.
• 09 July 2021: Initial data from a study by Biontech and Pfizer is expected to show that a third booster vaccination six months after the second vaccination should have a resounding effect. The number of neutralising titres is five to ten times higher than after the second vaccination. This was reported by the US broadcaster ABC News.
  The pharmaceutical giant has reportedly observed that the effectiveness against infections decreases over time. In addition, there are always new variants of the virus. These are factors why it is believed that “a booster dose is likely necessary to maintain the highest level of protection”, Pfizer said in a statement.
  • 12 July 2021: Heart muscle and pericardial inflammation are to be included as possible side effects of the Biontech and Moderna vaccines in the relevant product information. This was announced by the European Pharmacovigilance Committee PRAC. The PRAC is a committee within the European Medicines Agency that evaluates and monitors the safety of medicines.
  • The WHO had most recently said it saw a “probable association” between Corona vaccinations with an mRNA vaccine and heart muscle inflammation, but that this was “very rare”.
  • Share prices: Cash bonanza for Pfizer and Biontech