DRUG DEAL
UK secures 5million doses of Moderna Covid vaccine that’s more 94.5% effective – but not until Spring
BRITAIN has secured five million doses of a second coronavirus vaccine that's 94.5 per cent effective, the Health Secretary has announced.
Matt Hancock said the Moderna jab isn't expected to be available in the UK until next spring as the US firm ramps up its European supply chain.
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He confirmed the five million secured today - enough for 2.5 million people as two are required for it to work - are in addition to 350 million other doses the UK has already put on order.
This includes 40 million of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, which should be in the UK before Christmas and uses the same technology as Moderna's.
But ministers did not place orders with Moderna at the same time and have been scrambling to strike a deal with the firm.
Speaking at Downing Street tonight, Mr Hancock said: "This is another encouraging step forward - although I stress that this is preliminary, the safety data is limited and their production facilities are not yet at scale.
"Should this latest vaccine be approved, the doses would be available from spring next year.
"We have today secured an initial agreement for five million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
"This is a similar technology to Pfizer/Biontech of which we’ve already ordered 40 million doses, which should that be proved to work could come on stream before the end of this year."
'SECOND PENALTY SHOOT-OUT'
Interim data suggests the Moderna jab is highly effective in preventing people getting ill and may work across all age groups, including the elderly.
England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who was also at the press briefing, hailed Moderna's results as "brilliant news".
"Do I feel more encouraged in relation to another messenger RNA vaccine showing that it is making Covid-19 potentially in the future of vaccine preventable disease... absolutely so," he said.
"It's brilliant news, absolutely brilliant."
Prof Van-Tam had compared the Pfizer vaccine trial results to a goal in a penalty shoot-out and he continued the comparison following the Moderna data.
"It's the second penalty now, that's also gone into the back of the net.
"So we're starting to feel in a better position."
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He also said the results of the Moderna trials showed the approach that was being adopted by the major development programmes was proving effective.
"Pretty much all the vaccines around the world that are in development are coronavirus spike protein as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has done, as the Moderna vaccine has done," he said.
"This really does begin to show us that the spike protein is a completely plausible and effective target for vaccines to working against.
"When we started this journey in February-March we didn't even know that. We are feeling in a happier place."
'BIG OPPORTUNITY'
But Prof Van-Tam urged Brits to be "ready when called" once the country's vaccination programme is underway.
He said: "The Covid vaccine programme - as soon as we have authorised vaccines - is going to be the biggest and most important thing the NHS has done for a very long while.
"I do understand the workload pressures, but it will be incumbent upon every one of us to put in extraordinary efforts to make this programme move as fast as we can, consistent with the available supplies and with the highest uptake we can possibly manage.
"This is a big opportunity to change the way the pandemic will roll out over 2021.
"It’s not going to produce an overnight result, it’s isn’t going to affect the second wave we’re now in, but it could very dramatically change what the late spring and the summer start to look like.
"That’s how big the prize is, therefore it’s really important that everyone pushes so hard on this.
"Not just the workforce, but the public in terms of coming forward for the vaccine and being ready when you’re called."
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Scientists also said Moderna's findings bodes well for other Covid-19 vaccines, with the one for Oxford University and UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca due to report in the coming days or weeks.
Moderna intends to submit an application for an emergency use authorisation with the US Food and Drug Administration shortly and will submit further data on the vaccine's effectiveness and safety.
The firm's final-stage clinical trial is ongoing and includes more than 30,000 people in the US.
The early-stage, interim analysis included 95 participants with confirmed cases of Covid-19, of which 90 had received the placebo and five the active vaccine.
The 95 cases included 15 older adults - aged 65 and over - as well as 20 people who were not white, including 12 from Hispanic or Latino/a backgrounds, four African-Americans, three Asian-Americans and one who was multiracial.
Severe cases of coronavirus were also examined, including 11 in the first interim analysis.
All 11 cases occurred in the placebo group and none in the group which had received the vaccine, known currently as mRNA-1273.
Moderna said its available data does not indicate any significant safety concerns.
However, the 94.5 per cent efficacy from this analysis could drop as further results from the clinical trial are announced.
UNEXPECTED RESULTS
Dr Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said he "grinned ear to ear" when learning about the potential efficacy of the vaccine.
He told BBC News: "When we got the news from the data and safety monitoring board. I'll admit I broke character and grinned ear to ear for a minute.
"Because I didn't expect, I don't think any of us really hoped that the vaccine would be 94 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19 disease, that was really a stunning realisation."
He said combined with data suggesting it can stop severe Covid-19, it means "that the vaccine really is a terrific tool for stopping the pandemic and hopefully stopping the worst of the disease that people are facing".
He added: "When you combine it with the news of last week of Pfizer's vaccine, you've got now two vaccines that are over 90 per cent effective.
"It really means I think we have the tools necessary to finally beat this virus back and I think that's probably the best news of the day for all of us, is that there really are now solutions in our hands and we need to deliver them to the people who can use them."
Britain's 350million Covid vaccine doses
THE government has ordered 350million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, with some ready to roll out by December 1.
This includes 40million doses of the promising Pfizer shot, which was revealed to be 90 per cent effect last week.
These are the other vaccines which the government has pre-ordered:
Oxford/AstraZeneca: 100million doses
A weakened virus that causes colds in chimpanzees, it has been shown to generate a strong immune response against Covid-19.
It has been genetically changed so that it is impossible for it to grow in humans, making it safe for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.
Currently in phase-3 trials in the UK, USA, South Africa, Japan, Brazil and Kenya, more than 50,000 test patients have been given the vaccine. Early reviews have shown it to be safe.
A company in Australia has already started making millions of vials in the expectation that trials will be successful.
Novavax: 60million doses
Contains purified piece of the virus that causes Covid-19. When it is administered, the body recognises it as “foreign” and mounts a protective immune response.
It has been shown to generate more antibodies than in patients recovering from severe Covid-19 infections.
Currently in phase-3 clinical trials in the UK and USA.
GSK/Sanofi: 60million doses
Uses the same protein as one of Sanofi’s seasonal flu vaccines coupled with a booster.
In phase-1 clinical trials but early results have been positive.
Valneva: 60million doses
An inactivated whole virus vaccine designed to prompt the body into creating high levels of Covid-19 antibodies.
The government has invested in Valneva’s manufacturing facility in Livingston, Scotland, to create a major UK vaccine factory.
Currently in pre-trial research, with trials due to start in December.
Pfizer/BioNTech: 40million doses
Prevents Covid-19 infection by targeting the virus’s “spike protein”, effectively disabling it before it can cause any damage.
Tested on 40,000 patients, it is currently in phase-3 trials, but the first interim analysis has shown it is 90 per cent effective.
Janssen: 30million doses
Uses a modified common cold virus to act like a Trojan horse that can deploy the Covid-19 virus’s “spike protein” to human cells, causing the body to generate antibodies.
Phase-3 trials among 60,000 patients were recently halted temporarily after an unexplained illness in one volunteer. Trials have since resumed.
= 350million doses in total
Dr Hoge told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme the firm was "looking forward to being able to supply substantial quantities of the vaccine to the UK Government".
Pressed on whether the rollout could be done quickly, he replied: "It depends a little on concluding those negotiations. I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves.
"But we do have the ability to supply in the early part of next year and certainly we hope substantial quantities by the spring."
Number 10 said the UK had worked on agreements with vaccine developers who offer "different types of vaccines, can provide early supply to the UK and have advanced manufacturing supply chains in place."
ON THE HORIZON
At the end of October, Moderna announced that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which approves jabs, had started the rolling review process of its vaccine.
Dr Charlie Weller, head of Vaccines at Wellcome, said: "Hopes of ending this pandemic rest on having effective vaccines, treatments and tests.
"It is incredibly promising that the vaccines we urgently need are now on the horizon.
"To have multiple vaccine candidates with interim results that surpass our expectations is phenomenal, and testament to the incredible global research effort this year."
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Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said: "This news from Moderna is tremendously exciting and considerably boosts optimism that we will have a choice of good vaccines in the next few months.
"First we heard 90 per cent efficacy from Pfizer and BioNTech, then the Russians said 92 per cent and now Moderna says 94.5 per cent.
"This latest press release is based on a study of 30,000 US adults, including many high-risk or elderly persons.
"This gives us confidence that the results are relevant in the people who are most at risk of Covid-19 and in most need of the vaccines.
"Moderna have also announced that the vaccine can be kept in a conventional freezer (-20C) for up to six months, and that once thawed the vaccine can be kept for up to 30 days at standard refrigeration (2 to 8C). This makes the vaccine much easier to deliver."
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be kept at minus 70C (minus 94F) before being transferred to a fridge, which could pose transport and storage issues.
Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "As with previous announcements, this is encouraging for other vaccines that may be expected to also have worthwhile efficacy.
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"Although they reported efficacy being over 94%, there is statistical uncertainty in this, but based on these data, the likely efficacy will be better than 85 per cent which would be greater than most scientists would have expected.
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"This is the first study to report on severe cases and while uncertainty remains, the finding of no severe cases with the vaccine and 11 cases with placebo is very strong evidence that the vaccine prevents severe as well as mild disease."
He said more data was needed on the elderly "but this is definitely encouraging progress";.
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