Add press releases by Pfizer, BioNTech, CureVac, GSK about developmen…

…t of variant vaccines Fix a terminology mistake as well
ljl-covid · Feb 26, 2021 · e351074 · e351074
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@@ -318,13 +318,13 @@ Note that the WHO will generally be unable to make statements that their more pr
 * [Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 Achieved Success in First Interim Analysis from Phase 3 Study](https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against) in a press release where they state that their BNT162b2 vaccine has more than 90% efficacy, based on 94 participant who got COVID-19 during the trial, without any serious safety concerns; the article [Vaccine Efficacy Data!](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/09/vaccine-efficacy-data) by Derek Lowe provides an early opinion on these results
 * [Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine](https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577) is the phase III study paper
 * [Janssen Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine for the Prevention of COVID-19 briefing document](https://www.fda.gov/media/146217/download) was released by the FDA endorses the Johnson&Johnson vaccine; [Dered Lowe](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/24/the-jj-vaccine-at-the-fda) and [StatNews](https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/24/new-data-shed-light-on-efficacy-of-jjs-single-dose-vaccine-against-covid-19/) discuss the data
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+* [Pfizer and BioNTech Initiate a Study as Part of Broad Development Plan to Evaluate COVID-19 Booster and New Vaccine Variants](https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/pfizer-and-biontech-initiate-study-part-broad-development-plan) as announced in a BioNTech press release, where the company reveals it plans to study the effects of a third booster shots of 30µg of the original vaccine, as well as ongoing discussions with regulatory agencies about potential approval of vaccines specific to B.1.351 (South African) or other variants
 
 #### Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZD 1222 or ChAdOx1)
 
 * [Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31604-4/fulltext), encouraging preliminary results from the Oxford/AstraZeneca adenovirus-vectored vaccine, showing an acceptable safety profile and strong immune response after a booster, while [Derek Lowe's "In The Pipeline" blog provides a critical commentary](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/07/20/new-data-on-the-oxford-az-vaccine) on it; in November 2020 [Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered in a prime-boost regimen in young and old adults (COV002): a single-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32466-1/fulltext) was published showing that older adults develop similar levels of immune response as younger adults, and with fewer side effects, and [interim results showed an overall efficacy of 70%](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/23/oxford-az-vaccine-efficacy-data), importantly divided into 62% for a group that received two full doses, and 90% for a group receiving a half dose followed by a full-dose booster, a division in two trial arms that [appears to have arisen accidentally](https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/11/astrazenecas-best-covid-vaccine-result-was-a-fluke-experts-have-questions/); later in December 2020, a study partly funded by AstraZeneca looks at [Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK](https://www.thelancet.com/lancet/article/s0140-6736(20)32661-1) and finds that the vaccine had an "acceptable" profile, although the lower-end confidence interval values for efficacy are revealed as 54.8% overall, of which 67.4% in the half-dose group and 41.0% in the full-dose group
 * [Oxford University](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-23-oxford-university-breakthrough-global-covid-19-vaccine) and [AstraZeneca](https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/azd1222hlr.html) both issue press releases on interim efficacy assessment of their ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019 vaccine, showing overall 70% efficacy but divided into 62% for a group that received two full doses, and 90% for a group receiving a half dose followed by a full-dose booster, and Derek Lowe discusses these results and the methodological differences compared to Pfizer and Moderna in [Oxford/AZ Vaccine Efficacy Data](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/23/oxford-az-vaccine-efficacy-data)
-* [AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine authorised for emergency supply in the UK](https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-authorised-in-uk.html) announces an AstraZeneca press conference, claiming effectiveness based on the lack of hospitalizations and severe cases more than 14 days after the second dose, and saying the decision is based on data including the Lancet interim analysis above; [MHRA reports data about this vaccine and administration information](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca), saying that two 0.5ml doses will be used, seemingly ignoring the presumed 90% efficacy in the "half-dose" group, at a distance of 4 to 12 weeks (in the trials, "because of logistical constraints, the interval between dose 1 and dose 2 ranged from 4 to 26 weeks"), and for an overall efficacy of around 70%
+* [AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine authorised for emergency supply in the UK](https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-authorised-in-uk.html) announces an AstraZeneca press release, claiming effectiveness based on the lack of hospitalizations and severe cases more than 14 days after the second dose, and saying the decision is based on data including the Lancet interim analysis above; [MHRA reports data about this vaccine and administration information](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca), saying that two 0.5ml doses will be used, seemingly ignoring the presumed 90% efficacy in the "half-dose" group, at a distance of 4 to 12 weeks (in the trials, "because of logistical constraints, the interval between dose 1 and dose 2 ranged from 4 to 26 weeks"), and for an overall efficacy of around 70%
 * [Pascal Soriot: "There are a lot of emotions on vaccines in EU. But it's complicated"](https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/01/26/news/interview_pascal_soriot_ceo_astrazeneca_coronavirus_covid_vaccines-284349628/) is an extensive interview with the CEO of AstraZeneca discussing the reduced number of vaccine doses expected to be initially delivered to the EU, with some countries threatening legal action over failure to meet contractual obligation, and the interview also covers many specifics on vaccine production and testing
 * [Contract between European Commission and AstraZeneca now published](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_302), after pressure from the European Commission, albeit with a number of redactions
 * [Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01 (B.1.1.7)](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3779160) finds that while virus neutralization activity is 9-fold lower in the B.1.1.7 variant than in the "common" virus, the vaccine was similarly efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in both variants
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ Note that the WHO will generally be unable to make statements that their more pr
 * [Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Demonstrates 89.3% Efficacy in UK Phase 3 Trial](https://ir.novavax.com/news-releases/news-release-details/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-demonstrates-893-efficacy-uk-phase-3), as announced in a press release by the company about their NVX-CoV2373 protein-based vaccine, based on a trial that included 27% over the age of 65, and on an interim analysis after 62 cases developed, of which 56 were in the placebo group; at the same time, in the South Africa Phase 2b clinical trial, 60% efficacy was attained, possibly due to 90% prevalence of the South African escape variant, which the company says has initiated development of boosters for
 * [Johnson & Johnson Announces Single-Shot Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Met Primary Endpoints in Interim Analysis of its Phase 3 ENSEMBLE Trial](https://www.jnj.com/johnson-johnson-announces-single-shot-janssen-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-met-primary-endpoints-in-interim-analysis-of-its-phase-3-ensemble-trial), with an overall efficacy of 66% using a single-shot scheme, although the efficacy was 72% in the US and 57% in South Africa, possibly owing to the variant there (95% of cases), and 85% effectiveness in preventing severe disease, and the vaccine was well tolerated
 * [Safety and efficacy of an rAd26 and rAd5 vector-based heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccine: an interim analysis of a randomised controlled phase 3 trial in Russia](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00234-8/fulltext) presents the first phase 3 results for the Sputnik V vaccine, with an estimated efficacy of 91.6%, and no serious adverse effects associated with vaccination
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+* [GSK and CureVac to develop next generation mRNA COVID-19 vaccines](https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/gsk-and-curevac-to-develop-next-generation-mrna-covid-19-vaccines/) and [CureVac and UK Government to collaborate on development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants](https://www.curevac.com/en/2021/02/05/curevac-and-uk-government-to-collaborate-on-development-of-vaccines-against-sars-cov-2-variants/) open the road to multi-variant mRNA vaccines by these companies
 
 
 ### Diagnostics