Fight against Covid-19

Out of at least 100 vaccines being developed globally, a look at five:

Hy doxychloroqui ne/ chloroquine drug therapy

A six-continent study of 96,000 hospitalised coronavirus patients found that those given the anti-malarial drug had a higher risk of death compared with those who were not. Drawback: Arrhythmia, irregular heart rhythm, which can lead to sudden cardiac death. Journal: The Lancet

India connect: India the world’s biggest producer of hydroxy chlo toquine,whic his approved for use in the country as a prophylaxis to be given to asymptomatic healthworkers, frontline workers and contacts of Covid-patients

Remdesivir drug therapy

Only drug with US emergency-use authorisation to treat Covid-19, shortens recovery from 15 days to 11 days, but its benefit is limited in patients who needed mechanical ventilation as part of treatment.

Drawback: No benefit for severely ill patients on mechanical ventilation, who are at highest risk of death.

Journal: New England Journal of Medicine India connect: Gilead Sciences has signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with four generic pharma companies -- Jubilant Life Sciences, Cipla, Hetero Labs, and Mylan – for manufacture and distribution of remdesivir to 127 countries, including India

Oxford vaccine

(ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) Preclincial animal studies show the vaccine protected six monkeys from pneumonia. Up to 10,260 adults and children are being enrolled for merged Phases II and III trials to assess the immune response to the vaccine in people across ages. Drawback: The noses of vaccinated monkeys harboured as much virus as unvaccinated animals. Journal: bioRxiv, a preprint server

India connect: The Oxford University has licenced the experimental vaccine to AstraZeneca, with whom serum Institute of India is in talks with to mass produce the vaccine.

Sino Biotech vaccine

(Ad5 vectored Covid-19 vaccine) The traditional vaccine recombinant vaccine from China elicited elisa antibodies and neutralising antibodies after days 14, which peaked at 28 days after vaccination. Specific T-cell response peaked after two weeks, Drawback: High doses produced a stronger immune response, but produced severe side effects fever, fatigue, dyspnoea, muscle pain, and joint pain.

Journal: The Lancet

India connect: None

Moderna vaccine (mRNA-1273)

Early data shows the vaccine raised the levels of neutralising antibodies in eight vaccinated people, four each from the 25-microgram and 100-microgram groups, to levels found in the convalescent plasma of recovered patients.

Drawback: Moderna never brought a vaccine to market, though it has several vaccines in the pipeline. It doesn’t publish its data in scientific journals. Journal: Data to be published by US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which has partnered with Moderna on this vaccine. India Connect: Wipro founder Azim Premji is an investor in Moderna.