The battle against the novel coronavirus that has taken thousands of lives across the world is fiercer than ever but it appears that a vaccine will not arrive within a few months as experts talk about what the world should expect regarding hopes for a vaccine.
At Least One Year to Wait
Chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Jane Halton said on Sunday that the wait for a CoVID-19 vaccine will most likely reach up to at least 12 months, SBS News reported.
Furthermore, Halton explained that around $3 billion is necessary to fund the different stages of development and multiple versions of potential vaccines that could help fight the novel virus.
Multiple pharmaceuticals have taken on the challenge to develop a coronavirus vaccine but it will take months for the potential vaccine to arrive and another few months for tests to be carried out.
Halton noted that it will take "many, many months" to come up with millions of doses to make sure people around the world will receive the supposed coronavirus vaccine.
Trump Enlists Multiple Pharmaceuticals to Assist in the CoVID-19 Battle
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump gathered "big pharma" companies to discuss the progress of treatments and potential vaccines that could help the United States win its coronavirus battle.
According to CNBC, executives from Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences, Moderna, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and GlaxoSmithKline attended the meeting.
Before the meeting ended, Trump was quoted to have referred to Pfizer and J&J as the "greatest in the world" in terms of its pharmaceutical prowess. It is worth noting that the president once called out Pfizer for its move of raising drug prices.
Previously, politicians have been debating on the high prices of some global pharmaceuticals, noting that big pharma firms should offer fair and reasonable prices to lessen the pressure on governments.
Company Reportedly Offers £3,500 For Test Volunteers
Meanwhile, Hvivo reportedly said it will offer £3,500 or approximately $4,600 to volunteers who will be infected with a form of coronavirus as the company races to develop a vaccine.
According to the Daily Star, the company, which owns the laboratory at Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Center in London, is in search of volunteers who will be willing to get infected with the OC43 and 229E coronavirus strains.
In the trial, batches of 24 volunteers will be infected with the said strains that cause mild respiratory symptoms. The volunteers will be quarantined for 14 days and will not be allowed to be in direct contact with others.
Before the program pushes through, the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has to approve the processes involved in the trials.
Various Stages of Development to Ensure CoVID-19 Vaccine Effectivity
Specialist microbiologist at Prime Hospital Dubai Dr. Kavita Diddi noted that under the guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are different levels when a vaccine is being developed.
Aside from undergoing tests for short-term results, a potential vaccine also has to go through long-term impact testing to ensure that the vaccine will provide the needs of the immune system.
Diddi revealed that while short-term testing could take up to six months, long-term testing can take up to two years. Upon the emergence of good results, the vaccine sample will be sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval and mass production.
It is expected that the likes of the United Nations and the Red Cross will work to freeze vaccine prices at a reasonable level should developing pharmaceuticals raise eyebrows with high prices.
