COVID-19 Developing Vaccinations & Therapeutic Drugs (Update: 15 October 2021)

UPDATE: 15 October 2021
Vaccinations
“Immunization is a key component of primary health care and an indisputable human right. It is
also one of the best health investments money can buy. Vaccines are thus critical to the prevention
and control of infectious-disease outbreaks. They underpin global health security and will be a
vital tool in the battle against antimicrobial resistance”. – WHO https://www.who.int/health-
topics/vaccines-and- immunization
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, WHO has taken steps to prevent an “infodemic”— defined
by the organization as “an overabundance of information and the rapid spread of misleading or
fabricated news, images, and videos.” WHO and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit
organization that administers Wikipedia, have established a collaboration to expand the public’s
access to the latest and most reliable information about COVID-19”.
Information about the initiative is available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/22-10- 2020-
the-world-health-organization-and-wikimedia-foundation-expand-access-to- trusted-
information-aboutcovid-19-on-wikipedia
TIF shares the concerns of false information and misleading overabundance of information. This
often happens in the effort to enhance hope to a population that is suffering not only from the
disease itself, but also from its economic future, since lockdown/isolation practices are stifling
the market economies of every country around the world. Hope however, must be based on
realistic expectations and information.
For these reasons, TIF updates on new developments concerning vaccinations and new
therapies are scanned for accuracy and are reviewed now more regularly.

Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2
The genetic sequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was
published on January 11, 2020, and the rapid emergence of research and collaboration among
scientists and biopharmaceutical manufacturers followed. Various methods are used for vaccine
discovery and manufacturing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized 3 SARS-COV-2 vaccines for
emergency use (EUA) in the United States: Two are mRNA vaccines, the Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, whereas the third is a viral vector vaccine
–the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. The only vaccine to have gained full approval by the US
regulatory health authority is the Pfizer vaccine, as of August 23.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given conditional marketing authorization to 4
SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Two are mRNA vaccines – Comirnaty or BNT-162b2 (Pfizer) and
Spikevax (previously COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna), and the others are viral vector vaccines, the
Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca), and the COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen.
There are also 5 vaccines currently under rolling review by the EMA:
• NVX-CoV2373 (or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine)
• CVnCoV (or CureVac COVID-19 vaccine)
• Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac)
• COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated (or Sinovac - CoronaVac COVID-19 Vaccine)
• Vidprevtyn (or Sanofi/GSK COVID-19 Vaccine)
The following 7 COVID-19 Vaccines have been granted Emergency Use Listing by the World
Health Organization (WHO), as of October 15: Oxford/AstraZeneca, Serum Institute of India
Covishield (Oxford/AstraZeneca formulation), Janssen (Johnson and Johnson), Moderna, Pfizer
BioNTech, Sinopharm, and Sinovac vaccines.

Status of COVID-19 vaccinations in major countries and regions
Globally, as 11 October 2021, there have been 237,383,711 confirmed cases of COVID-19,
including 4,842,716 deaths, reported to WHO. A total of 6,364,021,792 vaccine doses have
been administered.
The COVAX scheme, co-led by Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with the aim to
accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and guarantee fair and
equitable access for every country in the world, has so far shipped over 344 million COVID-19
vaccines to 144 participating countries worldwide (as of October 11).
Data provided by Our World In Data project at the University of Oxford, show that as of October
11, 47,6% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and
35% is fully vaccinated. Nevertheless, the divide between nations that have shots and those
that don’t is starker than ever. Only 2,5% of people in low-income countries have received at
least one dose, whereas in high-income countries the vaccination percentage rises to 60,93%.
Table 1 shows that, until October 11, the share of the total population that have received all
vaccine doses prescribed by the vaccination protocol exceeds 50% mainly in the European
countries, the United States (55,67%), Canada (72,06%), China (70,78%), Chile (74%), Mexico
(64%), and Uruguay (74,57%) in the South America, the United Arab Emirates (84,4%),
Singapore (78,1%), and Japan (65%).
The share of the total population to have received full vaccination is less than 5% mainly
in countries of the African Region, such as Kenya (1,91%), Nigeria (1,1%), Tanzania (0,9%), and
Ethiopia (0,78%).

Table 1
An interactive COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout and Access
Tracker per country is provided by Reuters HERE.

Development and production of COVID-19 vaccines
Scientists around the world are working faster than ever to develop and produce vaccines that
can stop the spread of COVID-19, with 21 vaccines now being rolled out in countries
worldwide, 34 in Phase 3 clinical trials and another 194 in pre-clinical development
(information correct as of October 13).
The development cycle of a vaccine from lab to clinic
PRECLINICAL TESTING: Scientists test a new vaccine on cells and then give it
to animals such as mice or monkeys to see if it produces an immune response.
PHASE 1 SAFETY TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to a small number of people to test
safety and dosage, as well as to confirm that it stimulates the immune system.
PHASE 2 EXPANDED TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to hundreds of people split into
groups, such as children and the elderly, to see if the vaccine acts differently in them. These
trials further test the vaccine’s safety.
PHASE 3 EFFICACY TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to thousands of people and wait to
see how many become infected, compared with volunteers who received a placebo. These trials
can determine if the vaccine protects against the coronavirus, measuring what is known as
the efficacy rate. Phase 3 trials are also large enough to reveal evidence of relatively rare side
effects.
EARLY OR LIMITED APPROVAL: Many countries have procedures for providing emergency
authorizations for vaccines, based on preliminary evidence that they are safe and effective. In
addition, some countries such as China and Russia began administering vaccines before
detailed Phase 3 trial data was made public.
APPROVAL: Regulators review the complete trial results and plans for a vaccine’s
manufacturing and decide whether to give it full approval.

Until October 14, the top-3 approved COVID-19 vaccines on a global scale, according to the
New York Times Vaccines Tracker, are;
• the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, approved in 182 countries or regions;
• the Pfizer vaccine in 136, and
• the Moderna vaccine in 76 countries
The below maps show where each vaccine is being utilized.

Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Οxford
& Janssen (J&J) vaccines: A Head-to-Head Comparison
Pfizer-BioNTech
On December 11, 2020, this became the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive an FDA Emergency
Use Authorization (EUA), after the company reported positive clinical trial data, which included
news that the vaccine was up to 95% more effective than a placebo at preventing symptomatic
disease. The vaccine has also received authorization by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)
– the responsible regulatory body for the 27 EU Member States – on December 21, 2020.
On August 23, the FDA fully approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, making it
the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus to receive full approval – all other vaccines
have been granted Emergency Use Authorisation (ΕUA) by the authority. FDA Acting
Commissioner, Janet Woodcock, MD, characterized the approval as a "milestone" in the
pandemic, stating that the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high
standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved
product. On September 22, the agency authorized a third dose as a booster for people age
65 and older, and other populations at high risk. The European Medicines
Agency authorized a third dose of Comirnaty - the vaccine’s marketed name - for people 18
and older on October 4.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has had strict requirements involving how the vaccine is stored,
requiring shipping in ultra-cold temperature-controlled units (-94 degrees Fahrenheit). In mid-
February, the company submitted new data to the FDA demonstrating the stability of the
vaccine at temperatures more commonly found in pharmaceutical refrigerators and freezers.
Recommended for: Adults and adolescents 12 and older. Both the FDA and the EMA have
now amended their initial authorizations for the vaccine, so as to include individuals ages 12 to
15. Pfizer said a smaller dose of the vaccine was safe and effective in children between the ages
of 5 and 11, and sent its request for emergency approval for these ages to the FDA on October
7. Results for children aged 2 to 5, and for the youngest children — 6 months to 2 years old —
are expected later this year. In late September, the Wall Street Journal reported that Pfizer’s
study of the vaccine in pregnant women has been delayed because of slow enrollment.
Dosage: Two shots, 21 days apart
Common side effects: Chills, headache, pain, tiredness, and/or redness and swelling at the
injection site, all of which generally resolve within a day or two of rest, hydration, and
medications like acetaminophen. On rare occasions (as in, 11 cases in 18 million vaccinations),
mRNA vaccines have appeared to trigger anaphylaxis, a severe reaction which requires
emergency treatment.
How it works: This is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, which uses a relatively new
technology. Unlike vaccines that put a weakened or inactivated disease germ into the body, the
Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine delivers a tiny piece of genetic code from the SARS CoV-2 virus
to host cells in the body, essentially giving those cells instructions for making copies of spike
proteins (the spikes you see sticking out of the coronavirus in pictures online and on TV). The
spikes do the work of penetrating and infecting host cells. These proteins stimulate an immune
response, producing antibodies and developing memory cells that will recognize and respond
if the body is infected with the actual virus.
How well it works: 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection.
Researchers report that the vaccine was equally effective across a variety of different types of
people and variables, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI)—or
presence of other medical conditions. The vaccine was also 100% effective at preventing severe
disease.

Moderna
Moderna’s vaccine was the second one authorized for emergency use in the U.S.—it received
FDA EUA on December 18, 2020, as well as conditional marketing authorization by the EMA in
Europe on January 6, 2021.
Moderna is also an mRNA vaccine, using the same technology as the Pfizer-BioNTech one and
with a similarly high efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease. There are two key differences:
The Moderna vaccine can be shipped and kept in long-term storage in standard freezer
temperatures, and stored for up to 30 days using normal refrigeration, making it easier to
distribute and store.
Also, the Moderna vaccine was slightly less effective in clinical trials—about 86%—in people
who are 65 and older.
Recommended for: Adults 18 and older. On July 23, the EMA cleared the Moderna vaccine
also for children 12-17. The FDA authorized a third dose of the Moderna vaccine for
immunocompromised individuals on August 13. The respective authorization by the EMA was
granted to the Moderna vaccine on October 4.
Dosage: Two shots, 28 days apart
Common side effects: Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, side effects can include chills, headache,
pain, tiredness, and/or redness and swelling at the injection site, all of which generally resolve
within a day or two. On rare occasions, mRNA vaccines have appeared to trigger anaphylaxis, a
severe reaction that requires emergency treatment.
How it works: Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, this is an mRNA vaccine that sends the body’s cells
instructions for making a spike protein that will train the immune system to recognize it. The
immune system will then attack the spike protein the next time it meets one (attached to a real
SARS CoV-2 virus).
How well it works: 94.1% effective at preventing symptomatic infection in people with no
evidence of previous COVID-19 infection. The vaccine appeared to have high efficacy in clinical
trials among people of diverse age, sex, race, and ethnicity categories and among persons with
underlying medical conditions (although as mentioned above, the efficacy rate drops to 86.4%
for people ages 65 and older).

Oxford-AstraZeneca
This vaccine is distinguished from some of its competitors by its lower cost—it is cheaper to
make per dose, and it can be stored, transported, and handled in normal refrigeration for at
least six months. It can also be kept in a regular refrigerator, unlike the vaccines from Pfizer
and Moderna.
Despite initial pauses about its safety with blood clots, multiple health authorities, including the
WHO, the European Medicines Agency and the International Society on Thrombosis and
Hemostasis have agreed that the benefits of administering the vaccine outweigh the risks. The
vaccine has not been approved by the FDA for use in the US, where the company is expected
to seek full regulatory approval by December 2021.
READ HERE: WHO Interim recommendations for use of the ChAdOx1-S [recombinant] vaccine
against COVID-19 (AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222, SII Covishield, SK Bioscience)
Recommended for: Adults 18 and older
Dosage: Two doses, 4 to 12 weeks apart
Common side effects: Headache, fatigue, nausea, tenderness, pain, warmth, redness, itching,
swelling or bruising at the injection site, all of which generally resolve within a day or two.
How it works: This is a carrier vaccine, made from a modified version of a harmless adenovirus.
The final product contains the spike protein found in SARS-CoV-2. When that protein reaches
the body’s cells, the immune system mounts a defense, creating antibodies and memory cells
to protect against an actual SARS-Cov2 infection.
How well it works: AstraZeneca updated its data analysis of its phase 3 trials in March, showing
its vaccine to be 76% effective at reducing the risk of symptomatic disease 15 days or more
after receiving the two doses, and 100% against severe disease. The company also said the
vaccine was 85% effective in preventing COVID-19 in people over 65.
In March 2021, several European countries paused the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19
vaccine after several reports of blood clots. The clots that are linked to this vaccine have very
specific characteristics:
What you need to know about the Oxford/AstraZeneca
COVID-19 vaccine and its rare side effects

• They occur in unusual areas of the body, like the abdomen or brain.
• People affected also have low platelet levels.
It was found that people with these blood clots showed some symptoms similar to a condition
called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). HIT is usually a rare side effect seen in people
who have used the anticoagulant medication heparin, though these people had never taken
the drug.
A new study has given more details about the “rare but devastating” blood clotting
complications associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
In a peer-reviewed paper published on August 11 in The New England Journal of Medicine,
scientists from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and other institutions
analyzed the symptoms, signs and outcomes in 220 confirmed and probable cases who
presented in UK hospitals between 22 March and 6 June.
50% of the cases in the analysis had no previous medical illness, and there appeared to be no
particular individual risk factors for the syndrome.
Researchers found that the syndrome – named vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia
and thrombosis (VITT) – killed 23% of the cases analyzed. This risk of death increases
significantly to 73% in patients with a very low platelet count and brain bleeds after blood clots
in the brain.
AstraZeneca commented on these findings stating that recent published real-world evidence
drawn from millions of individuals, shows that AstraZeneca’s vaccine has a comparable safety
profile with other vaccines and that incidences of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia are
extremely rare and treatable. The company added that here is a far greater risk of getting a rare
blood-clotting event with COVID-19, with rates of venous thromboembolism eight times higher
after a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection compared with the expected rate.
Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
On February 27, 2021, the FDA granted emergency use approval for the Johnson & Johnson
vaccine, followed by an EMA conditional marketing authorization on March 11. In comparison
to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, this one is easier to store (in refrigerator temperature), and
requires only a single shot, which has made it easier to distribute and administer.
Status: Emergency use in the U.S., the EU, the UK and other countries

Recommended for: Adults 18 and older. The company also expects to start testing the vaccine
on children.
Dosage: Single shot.
Common side effects: Fatigue, fever headache, injection site pain, or myalgia (pain in a muscle
or group of muscles), all of which generally resolve within a day or two. It has had noticeably
milder side effects than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, according to the FDA report released
in late February. No one suffered an allergic reaction in clinical trials for the vaccine, according
to the company.
How it works: This is a carrier vaccine, which uses a different approach than the mRNA vaccines
to instruct human cells to make the SARS CoV-2 spike protein. Scientists engineer a harmless
adenovirus (a common virus that, when not inactivated, can cause colds, bronchitis, and other
illnesses) as a shell to carry genetic code on the spike proteins to the cells.
How well it works: 72% overall efficacy and 86% efficacy against severe disease in the U.S.
In July, the FDA reported a number of cases related to a potential side effect of the vaccine,
Guillain-Barre syndrome. Around 100 people developed the immune disorder, which weakens
muscles and in extreme cases causes paralysis, after receiving one dose of the vaccine.
Officials at the agency described the side effect as a "small possible risk" of getting the vaccine.
Most people make a full recovery from the syndrome although one of the 100 cases is reported
to have died.
According to NHS data, extreme cases of blood clots with low blood platelets have also been
reported which may affect one in 10,000 people.
What you need to know about the Janssen
COVID-19 vaccine and its rare side effects

COVID-19 variants & vaccines’ effectiveness
All viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – evolve over time. When a
virus replicates or makes copies of itself, it sometimes changes a little bit, which is normal for a
virus. These changes are called “mutations”. A virus with one or more new mutations is referred
to as a “variant” of the original virus.
The Delta variant is one of four "variants of concern" listed by the WHO; the others are
alpha (the variant first discovered in the U.K.), beta (first discovered in South Africa) and
gamma (first discovered in Brazil).
The UK, Kent or Alpha variant (also known as B.1.1.7) is currently prevalent globally- with
more than 200,000 cases identified - and has spread to more than 170 countries and appears
to be mutating again.
The South Africa or Beta variant (B.1.351) has been identified in 119 other countries.
The Brazil or Gamma variant (P.1) has spread to more than 70 other countries.
Photo credit: Muaz Kory/Al Jazeera

On June 18, the WHO said that the Delta variant, originating in India, would be globally
dominant due to “significantly increased transmissibility”.
This variant is "faster, it is fitter, it will pick off the more vulnerable more efficiently than previous
variants, and therefore if there are people left without vaccination, they remain even at further
risk," Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said at a
news briefing on June 21.
On June 23, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued a Statement
in which it said that the Delta variant is more transmissible than other circulating variants and
we estimate that by the end of August it will represent 90% of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating
in the European Union.
The Delta variant carries 10 mutations that cause changes to the virus' spike protein, which it
uses to grab and invade human cells, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). Small changes like these in a virus's genome may impact how the virus
behaves, leading to changes in its transmissibility and/or virulence.
Do COVID-19 vaccines work against the Delta variant?
It has been said many times that the arrival of the Delta variant of the coronavirus has changed
the course of the pandemic. It is more transmissible than previous variants and has quickly
become the dominant variant across the world. In addition, because the vaccines are less
effective against it, although still effective enough, it has brought the need for booster shots to
the forefront of the debate.
While research suggests that COVID-19 vaccines are slightly less effective against the variants,
the vaccines still appear to provide protection against severe COVID-19. For example:
• Early research from the U.K. suggests that, after full vaccination, the Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19 vaccine is 88% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 virus caused by
the delta variant. The vaccine is 96% effective at preventing severe disease with the
COVID-19 virus caused by the delta variant. The research also showed that the vaccine is
93% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 virus caused by the alpha variant.
• Early research from Canada suggests that, after one dose, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
is 72% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 virus caused by the delta variant.
One dose of the vaccine is also 96% effective at preventing severe disease with the
COVID-19 virus caused by the delta variant.

• The Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is 85% effective at preventing severe
disease with the COVID-19 virus caused by the delta variant, according to data released
by Johnson & Johnson. However, another study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed
and only examined 27 people, suggests the J&J vaccine is 67% effective against the Delta
variant.
The aforementioned information is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation
surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it is possible that some data have changed since
publication. We encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own
communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.
More detailed information on each of the COVID-19 variants
and the vaccines response to these new strains is available HERE.
More information by TIF on COVID-19 vaccines and patients
with Haemoglobin Disorders is available HERE.

COVID-19 Vaccines and Immunocompromised Individuals
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
officially recommended on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, 2021, respectively, that people who are
moderately to severely immunocompromised receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Following suit, on October 4 the EMA committee endorsed a third dose of the COVID-19
vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. for people with severely weakened immune
systems.
Concerns about withering COVID protection prompted Israel—one of the first countries to start
vaccinating its population—to begin administering booster shots months ago.
Another reason for this recommendation is high hospitalization rates among
immunocompromised people who are vaccinated. As of July 2021, nearly half of the vaccinated

people hospitalized with breakthrough COVID-19 infections were immunocompromised –
despite making up only 2.7% of the U.S. adult population. In comparison, the rate of
breakthrough cases among vaccinated people who are not immunocompromised was less than
1%.
While immunocompromised people were not included in the initial COVID-19 vaccine trials to
avoid putting them at risk, subsequent studies revealed that the authorized two-dose mRNA
vaccine regimens do not stimulate as strong a defense against COVID-19 for
immunocompromised people.
In particular, organ transplant recipients seem to develop fewer COVID-19 antibodies after
vaccination. That is not surprising, given that the medicines used in transplantation intentionally
hamper antibody development to prevent the immune system from rejecting the donated
organs. But since then, pilot trials in organ transplant recipients have shown that an additional
dose of vaccine can help boost immune response.
Some experts have questioned the need for the broad use of boosters, while the World Health
Organization has called for a moratorium on them this year, until more people outside of rich
countries get protection. An all-star panel of scientists weighed in last month, saying the initial
shots work so well that most people don’t yet require a third injection.
Governments would be better served to focus on immunizing the unvaccinated and to wait for
more data on which boosters would be most effective and at what doses, the authors, who
included two prominent FDA experts, argued in the medical journal The Lancet. They based
their assessment on a wide range of real-world observational studies as well as data from clinical
trials.
In the EU, public health bodies at the national level may issue official recommendations on the
use of booster doses, “taking into account emerging effectiveness data and the limited safety
data,” the EMA said in the statement.

Vaccines in Phase 3 clinical trials (listed as of October 14)
1. Sinopharm Beijing and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, have produced two
inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. The Beijing Institute΄s vaccine, BBIBP-CorV, was approved for
emergency use in China on June 30, 2020. The Wuhan Institute’s one was approved on July 23,
2020.
On 30 December 2020, Sinopharm announced the BBIBP-CorV vaccine's efficacy rate
demonstrated in interim data from Phase 3 trials was 79.34%, without providing more details.
On May 7, WHO listed the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green
light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally through COVAX. A further 42 countries, including
Hungary, Venezuela, and Sri Lanka, have approved the vaccine. On August 2, the UAE Ministry
of Health has approved the use of the Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19 for children in the
3-17 years age group in UAE. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet reviewed it
for use in the European Union.

Findings from a Peru study, published on August 13, found the Sinopharm vaccine 50.4%
effective against infections. The study looked at data from February through June 2021 at a
time when Peru was fighting a brutal second-wave of infections fueled by the Lambda and
Gamma variants of the coronavirus. Researchers stated, however, that the vaccine was 94%
effective at preventing deaths after two doses.
On August 29, the U.A.E. mandated booster shots for all residents who received BBIBP-CorV.
Results from a small-scale booster study showed that a third shot of the vaccine reversed a
decline in antibodies after several months, Reuters reported on September 17.
2. The Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) have reported that the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
showed a 97.6% efficacy. This was based on the analysis of data on disease infection rate
among people receiving both shots of the vaccine.
In February 2021, preliminary results of the phase 3 trials were reported in Lancet with
a 91.6% efficacy rate – the percentage reduction of disease in a vaccinated group of people
compared to an unvaccinated group under trial conditions. However, Sputnik V has become
shrouded in controversy, largely due to the Institute’s refusal to share important data on the
drug. On August 11, Russian Health Minister, Mikhail Murashko, affirmed the shot to be
around 83% effective against the Delta variant of coronavirus.
The Sputnik V shot is widely used in Russia and approved for use in over 50 countries.
Nevertheless, it is not yet approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the World
Health Organization, meaning it cannot be used by COVAX, the COVID vaccine global access
initiative. After talks with Director General of the WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in
Geneva on October 1, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that all barriers
hampering the registration of Sputnik V with the WHO had been removed. On October 12,
the WHO said it continues to assess the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine under the Emergency
Use Listing (EUL) procedure.
3. The Novavax Inc’s recombinant nanoparticle protein-based two-dose shot with
Matrix-M adjuvant, NVX-CoV2373, is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that
coats the coronavirus. That is very different from other widely used vaccines that deliver genetic
instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax shots are easier to store and transport than some other options, and have long
been expected to play an important role in increasing supplies in poor countries desperate for
more vaccine.
In June, Novavax announced the vaccine had proved about 90% effective against symptomatic
COVID-19 in a study of nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and Mexico. It also worked against
variants circulating in those countries at the time. Side effects were mostly mild. As for the
highly contagious delta variant that now is circulating in much of the world, Novavax also
announced that giving a booster six months after a second shot revved up virus-fighting
antibodies that could tackle that mutant.
Novavax signed a deal with the EU on August 4 to supply up to 200 million doses and said it
would complete the submission of data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the
vaccine's approval in Europe as early as the end of September. However, according to Reuters,
the European Union expects Novavax to submit data needed for the possible approval of its
COVID-19 vaccine around October, in what could be another delay for the U.S. biotech firm.
The company announced on August 25 that its vaccine would be part of another booster study
in patients with impaired immune systems. Novavax has also found that its vaccine can work in
combination with a seasonal flu shot. On September 8, Novavax began a Phase 1/2 trial to
evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine when combined with its own flu shot.
4. ZF2001, trade-named Zifivax, is an adjuvanted protein subunit COVID-19
vaccine developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom in collaboration with the Institute of
Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
ZF2001 employs technology similar to other protein-based vaccines in Phase III trials
from Novavax, Vector Institute, and Medicago. It is administered in 3 doses over a period of
2 months.
ZF2001 was first approved for use in Uzbekistan and later China. Production capacity is
expected to be one billion doses a year. Phase II results published in The Lancet on the three-
dose administration showed seroconversion rates of neutralizing antibodies of between 92%
to 97%.
In July 2021, lab studies showed ZF2001 largely retained its neutralizing effect against Delta
variant with a slight reduction. Serum samples from people vaccinated with ZF2001 showed
a 1.2-fold reduction in neutralising effect compared against the original variant of COVID-19.

By the same month, 100 million doses of the shot had already been administered in China
and Uzbekistan.
On 7 September, the National Agency of Drug and Food Control of Indonesia (BPOM)
published the emergency use authorization for Zifivax.
5. CureVac’s CVnCoV is German clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company CureVac’s
mRNA-based vaccine candidate, which started development in January 2020. CVnCoV was
being developed in collaboration with British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Bayer.
On 16 June 2021, CureVac said its vaccine showed inadequate results of 47% efficacy from its
Phase III trial. The study involved 40,000 people in 10 countries in Europe and Latin America
with at least 13 coronavirus variants circulating, the company said. Of those in the trial, there
were 134 COVID cases among people two weeks after they had received the second dose.
When sequencing the virus, only one was attributable to the original coronavirus strain. More
than half (57%) were "variants of concern."
On October 12, CureVac announced that it decided to abandon its COVID-19 vaccine
development and focus on its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop second-
generation messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidates. The company also withdrew the
application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the approval of CVnCoV, and the latter
ended its rolling review of the vaccine.
The biotech company has teamed up with GSK to produce a second-generation vaccine that
targets variants with a "new messenger RNA backbone. According to a new study, the second-
generation Covid-19 vaccine from GSK and CureVac induces a stronger immune response than
the German biotech’s first vaccine. In this animal study, which has yet to be peer reviewed, the
companies said the mRNA vaccine could induce antibodies capable of tackling several variants
of concern, including Beta, Delta and Lambda.
6. Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech International announced
the interim efficacy data for the Phase 3 trials of Covaxin, the first made-in-India coronavirus
vaccine.
In the trial results, Bharat Biotech and the ICMR said that Covaxin demonstrates an overall
interim clinical efficacy of 78%. The efficacy against severe COVID-19 disease was 100%, the
company said, but efficacy against protecting from asymptomatic COVID-19 infection
dropped at 70%.

In July 2021, Bharat Biotech reported the vaccine to be 64% effective against asymptomatic
cases, 78% effective against symptomatic cases, 93% effective against severe COVID-19
infection, and 65% effective against the Delta variant.
Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant Director-General for Vaccines, according to reports, had
said that the UN health agency’s assessment to include the Bharat Biotech vaccine in the
WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) was "quite advanced" and officials hoped for a decision
by mid-September.
On October 13, India recommended emergency use of the shot in the 2 to 18 age group, as
the world's second-most populous nation expands its vaccination drive to include children.
7. ZyCoV-D is India-based Zydus Cadila’s plasmid DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19
that targets the viral entry membrane protein of the virus.
In early animal studies, the firm reported that as well as generating neutralising antibodies
post-vaccination, ZyCoV-D also induced T-cell response.
ZyCoV-D can be stored at 2 to 8°C for the long term and at 25°C for a few months and is
administered via Needle Free Injection System (NFIS).
On 1 July 2021, Cadila Healthcare reported the efficacy to be 66.6% against symptomatic
COVID-19 and 100% against moderate or severe disease in its interim analysis of its Phase 3
trial data.
On August 22, the vaccine was approved for emergency use in India in adults and children
aged 12 years and above, making it the 6th
vaccine authorized for use in the country. In an
October 2021 interview, the managing director of Zydus Cadila said that the company was
still waiting for a pricing plan from the Indian government before distributing the vaccine.
8. Kazakhstan’s inactivated vaccine, QazCovid-in, commercially known as QazVac and
developed and tested in the Kazakh Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems, is
currently in Phase 3 of clinical trials. The first preliminary results of QazVac clinical trials were
published in Lancet’s E Clinical Medicine journal on August 13.
The administration of the vaccine for the general population began at the end of April 2021.
Kyrgyzstan is ready to use the Kazakh-made vaccine QazVac, right after recommendations
from an independent experts committee. 25,000 doses were delivered to the country as
humanitarian aid.

In September 2021, a study was published to EClincicalMedicine by The Lancet. The study’s
findings were that the “QazCovid-in® vaccine was safe and well-tolerated and induced
predominantly mild adverse events; no serious or severe adverse events were recorded in both
trials.”
9. Abdala (CIGB 66) is one of three vaccine candidates for Covid-19 being developed in-
house by Cuba’s Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB).
Abdala is a protein vaccine that uses yeast as a receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein and
alumina as an adjuvant and it is designed to be administered three times, at 14-day intervals.
On June 22, 2021, official Cuban government sources reported that the results of an initial
study by the Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology involving 48,290
participants found the vaccine, administered in 3 doses spaced 2 weeks apart, had a 92.28%
efficacy rate at preventing symptomatic COVID-19.
On 9 July 2021, Abdala was approved for an emergency use authorization in Cuba.
In July 2021, Abdala started clinical trial phase I/II for children and adolescents aged 3-18.
The Abdala vaccine is one of a total of five candidate vaccines in Cuba, according to
authorities there. Another, the two-dose Soberana 2, is also expected to be soon authorized
for emergency use by CECMED. Both vaccines are then to be sent up for approval to the
World Health Organization.
In September, Cuba agreed to sell 10 million doses of Abdala to Vietnam, which has granted
the vaccine emergency authorization. In Venezuela, meanwhile, the National Academy of
Medicine expressed concern over the lack of published scientific research on Abdala’s safety
and efficacy.
10. Sinovac Biotech, a private Chinese company, developed an inactivated vaccine called
CoronaVac in early 2020.
On June 1st
WHO validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use,
giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets
international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. Vaccine efficacy results showed
an efficacy 50.65% against all symptomatic cases, 83.70% against cases that require medical
treatment, and 100.00% against severe, hospitalized and fatal cases.
As of July 2021, CoronaVac was the most widely used COVID-19 vaccine in the world, with

943 million doses delivered.
On August 10, Sinovac announced positive data on booster shots of CoronaVac, which
induces strong immune response in adult and elderly populations.
On the other hand, a recent study conducted by investigators from the Centre for Safe
Medication Practice and Research at the University of Hong Kong, has found that there is an
increased risk of Bell’s Palsy after the administration of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine.
Results from the study were published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Sinovac is now running a Phase 4 trial to evaluate how well such a booster can protect against
Covid-19 in healthy adults.
11. Sanofi–GSK COVID-19 vaccine, also known as VAT00002 and VAT00008, is a COVID-19
vaccine candidate developed by Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
VAT00008 is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine containing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein,
which is produced in insect cells via a baculovirus vector.
On 27 May 2021, the vaccine began a Phase 3 trial involving 35,000 participants. And the expand
to 37,430 participants for the global trials including Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ghana,
Honduras, India, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and the United
States.
In July 2021, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European
Medicines Agency (EMA) started a rolling review of Vidprevtyn (trade name), the COVID-19
vaccine developed by Sanofi Pasteur. The CHMP's decision to start the rolling review is based
on preliminary results from laboratory studies (non-clinical data) and early clinical studies in
adults, which suggest that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies that target SARS-
CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and may help protect against the disease.
On September 28, the company announced that its COVID-19 recombinant vaccine candidate
is progressing in a Phase 3 efficacy and safety trial. In parallel, Sanofi has expanded its research
program to include a study of the vaccine as a booster dose. Moreover, Sanofi dropped
development plans for its own mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, because of the dominance
achieved by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna in using the technology to fight the pandemic.
12. Nanocovax is a Vietnamese COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Nanogen
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC. It is a subunit vaccine (SARS‑CoV‑2 recombinant spike

protein with aluminum adjuvant).
In June 2021, Nanocovax entered phase III of clinical trials on 13,000 volunteers. The clinical
trial Phase 3 (adaptive, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled) enrolled
volunteer subjects 18 years of age and older to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and
efficacy of Nanocovax vaccine in participants.
Nanogen's chairman Ho Nhan said the firm had send its reports on the trials to the Ministry of
Health for approval, claiming an efficacy rate of 90%.
13. The Chinese company CanSino Biologics developed Convidecia in partnership with
the Institute of Biology at the country’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences. The one-
shot vaccine is based on an adenovirus called Ad5.
Starting in August 2020, CanSino began running Phase 3 trials in a number of countries,
including Pakistan, Russia, Mexico and Chile. On Feb. 25, China announced the approval of
the CanSino vaccine for general use. The company announced that its one-shot vaccine had
an efficacy rate of 65.28% at preventing all symptomatic Covid-19 cases. The details of the
trial have yet to be published. But on April 1, CanSino’s chief scientific officer said that the
efficacy of its vaccine could drop over time. He also floated the idea of using a booster shot
six months after the first dose, though more clinical trial data is needed. Reuters reported on
Aug. 5 that this drop could be as much as around 30 percent after six months.
On June 9, Reuters reported that the CanSino vaccine is being tested as a booster shot.Results
from a Chinese study, released on September 7, suggested that getting the CanSino booster
shot after the Sinovac vaccine produced a stronger antibody response compared to a third
shot of the Sinovac vaccine. CanSino announced on Sept. 26 that a trial in children age 6 to
17 yielded positive results.

Therapeutic Drugs
Monlupiravir
The pharmaceutical firm Merck announced last week that an antiviral pill it is developing can
cut hospitalizations and deaths among people with COVID-19 by half. The results have not yet
been peer reviewed, but if the drug candidate, Molnupiravir, is authorized by regulators, it
would be the first oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, and could be an especially
important tool in poor countries, where vaccine supply is low. By contrast, the other currently
authorized drugs must be delivered intravenously or injected.
On October 11, Merck submitted its treatment Molnupiravir to the FDA, asking the health
regulator to approve the pill for emergency use authorization, and plans to apply for emergency
use or marketing authorization in other countries in the coming months. Ahead of a decision
by U.S. regulators, the company has already begun producing the pill, and has agreed to sell
courses of the treatment to the United States and other countries if they get the green light.
Early trials of the drug showed significant promise in reducing the risk of hospitalization and
death among at-risk patients with mild to moderate cases of covid-19. An independent board
of experts monitoring the trial recommended it be stopped early because of the promising
results, the company said this month, a significant and telling development in a pharmaceutical

study.
Remdesivir
Remdesivir, an antiviral, is currently the only FDA-approved therapy for COVID-19. It
prevents SARS-CoV-2 from replicating by binding to RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, a key
enzyme the virus needs to propagate. It was approved in October for hospitalized COVID-19
patients ages 12 and up who weigh at least 88 lbs. Its original Emergency Use Authorization
(EUA) has been revised to also allow for treatment of hospitalized pediatric patients under 12
who weigh at least 7.7 lbs.
FDA also issued an EUA for the combination of remdesivir plus the oral JAK inhibitor barcitinib
(Olumiant) in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, which is supported by the NIH
guidelines. Gilead Sciences Inc said an analysis showed its antiviral remdesivir reduced
mortality rates in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and increased the likelihood of being
discharged by day 28 after a five-day course of the treatment.
The drugmaker said on June 21 that it analyzed data from 98,654 patients from three
retrospective studies of the real-world treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Remdesivir achieved statistically significant 54% and 23% reduction in risk of mortality among
the analyzed patients in two of the studies, the company said.
Dexamethasone
Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid with potent anti-inflammatory effects, is recommended for
use in many categories of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but not for those with mild-
to-moderate disease who are not in the hospital.
While it recommends against dexamethasone for those hospitalized but not on supplemental
oxygen, NIH recommends it for those who need supplemental oxygen, high-flow or
noninvasive ventilation, and mechanical ventilation or ECMO.
According to findings from the RECOVERY trial, dexamethasone use in those who required
mechanical ventilation cut the risk of death by about 35% compared with usual care. Overall
mortality also was lower in all hospitalized patients who received the drug.
The NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines recommend the use of dexamethasone in certain
people hospitalized with severe COVID-19. The recommendation was based on results from
the RECOVERY trial. In the study, more than 6000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19

randomly received either dexamethasone or standard treatment. Patients who required
supplemental oxygen or ventilators and who received dexamethasone were less likely to die
within 28 days than those who received standard care. Dexamethasone did not have a benefit
in patients who did not need respiratory support.
It is the first drug to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19 and it is also approved for
NHS use by the UK government. In a March 2021 analysis, the British government estimated
that the drug has saved a million lives worldwide.
Tocilizumab
On June 24, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the rheumatoid arthritis
drug Actemra (tocilizumab) for the treatment of hospitalized adults and pediatric patients (2
years of age and older) who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental
oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO). Actemra is not authorized for use in outpatients with COVID-19.
The FDA says that based on available scientific evidence, it's "reasonable to believe" that
tocilizumab may be effective in the treatment of COVID-19 for the authorized population and
that the "known and potential benefits" of the drug outweigh the known and potential risks
associated with the drug.
Anticoagulation
NIH recommends that all adults hospitalized for COVID-19 who are not pregnant should
receive prophylactic anticoagulation to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). Pregnant
patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 should also get prophylactic anticoagulation unless
it is contraindicated.
The agency notes that there are currently insufficient data to recommend either for or against
the use of thrombolytics or higher-than-prophylactic-doses of anticoagulation in hospitalized
patients outside of a clinical trial.
More trials are still underway, including many on aspirin, which is known to act as a blood
thinner. But in June 2021, a large-scale randomized clinical trial found that aspirin had no
significant impact on patient mortality. In sicker patients, clot buster drugs are being tested in
the hope of helping combat respiratory failure.

Convalescent Plasma
Convalescent plasma has an FDA emergency use authorization to treat hospitalized COVID-19
patients. Only high-titer plasma is now authorized, however, and with restriction to
hospitalized patients who are early in their disease course or those who have impaired humoral
immunity. The scope of authorization was narrowed last February, to specify the use of only
high-titer plasma.
There is some evidence suggesting possible benefits of convalescent plasma in patients with
COVID-19, but available data to date are largely from case reports or series; confirmation from
additional randomized controlled studies is required. The Infectious Disease Society of
America recommends against using convalescent plasma in hospitals and said there is no
evidence yet supporting its use in people early in their infection.
Monoclonal Antibodies:
Monoclonal antibodies are manmade
versions of the antibodies that our bodies
naturally make to fight invaders, such as the
SARS-CoV-2 virus. All three of the FDA-
authorized therapies attack the
coronavirus's spike protein, making it more
difficult for the virus to attach to and enter
human cells.
The monoclonal antibody treatments that have Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)
approval by the FDA are: a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab, called REGN-COV,
made by Regeneron; a combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab, made by Eli Lilly; and
sotrovimab, made by GlaxoSmithKline. These treatments must be given intravenously in a clinic
or hospital. These treatments are not currently authorized for hospitalized COVID-19 patients
or those receiving oxygen therapy.
Ronapreve (casirivimab / imdevimab) is a monoclonal antibody treatment to prevent and treat
COVID-19 developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Roche Pharmaceuticals GmbH.
The drug contains a pair of antibodies created in a laboratory, and has been shown to lower

hospitalisation or mortality from COVID by 70%, as well as shortening the duration of symptoms
by four days. It can be administered through either injection or infusion.
It is intended for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age
who do not require supplemental oxygen therapy and who are at increased risk of progressing
to severe COVID 19, and for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12
years and older.
On 20 August 2021, it was approved by the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency for use in the UK. On October 12, the European Medicine Authority
has started evaluating an application for the marketing authorisation of Ronapreve. EMA will
assess the benefits and risks of Ronapreve under a reduced timeline and could issue an opinion
within two months, depending on the robustness of the data submitted and whether further
information is required to support the evaluation.
Bamlanivimab and etesevimab are two monoclonal antibodies developed by Eli Lilly.
Although initially they showed promise, their prospects look much cloudier now.
On Nov. 9, the F.D.A. gave bamlanivimab emergency use authorization for mild to moderate
Covid-19. One early study suggested the drug reduced the risk of infected people becoming
hospitalized. Another indicated that it can prevent people from getting Covid-19 in the first
place. The company gave bamlanivimab to 965 healthy residents and staff members at nursing
homes. They found it reduced the risk of Covid-19 by 80 percent.
But some coronavirus variants that emerged in early 2021 proved resistant, leading the F.D.A.
to revoke its authorization for bamlanivimab alone as a Covid-19 treatment on April 19. Instead,
the government allowed Lilly to sell a combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab. They
reasoned that if the coronaviruses could evade one drug they would still succumb to the other.
In March 2021, Lilly reported that a combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab produced
an 87 percent reduction in Covid-19 related hospitalizations and deaths in a trial of 769 high-
risk patients. The NIH Covid-19 treatment guidelines now recommend bamlanivimab and
etesevimab for non-hospitalized Covid-19 patients who are at a high risk for their symptoms to
worsen.
But even this cocktail may prove ineffective in the long run. On May 26, the U.S. government
warned that certain variants were proving resistant even to a combination of bamlanivimab and
etesevimab. On June 25, the F.D.A. paused the use of the two drugs across the United States
because of the rise of the Beta and Gamma variants. The F.D.A. reauthorized bamlanivimab and
etesevimab in all states on Sept. 2. And on Sept. 17, the F.D.A. expanded its authorization to
allow the combination to be administered to high-risk and unvaccinated patients who have

been exposed to the virus.
Sotrovimab works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This
is the same spike protein the body’s immune system is trained to recognise with the Pfizer
COVID vaccine. In May 2021, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline released data from
a clinical trial. It compared sotrovimab to a placebo in 583 at-risk COVID-19 patients to see
whether it prevented the disease progressing to the extent that the patient needed to be
hospitalised or died. In the sotrovimab group (of 291 people), three patients saw their disease
progress, compared to 21 in the placebo group (of 292 people). This amounts to an 85%
reduction of disease progression in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.
In May, the European drug regulator EMA also authorised sotrovimab to be used in adults and
children aged over 12 with mild to moderate COVID-19, but who are at a high risk of
progression to severe COVID-19.
AZD7442
AZD7442 is an antibody cocktail developed by British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical
and biotechnology company AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca's antibody drug cut the risk of severe COVID-19 by at least 50% in a late stage
study, the company announced on October 11. The injection, also called Evusheld, contains
two different antibodies developed from the blood of people who previously contracted
COVID-19. It is the first drug of its kind shown to both prevent and treat COVID-19 in late-
stage trials, the company said in a press release.
The company has already requested Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use
AZD7442 to prevent COVID-19, after late-stage trial results in August showed it reduced the
risk of COVID-19 with symptoms by 77%. AstraZeneca looked at the drug's impact at day 29
of the TACKLE study, which is expected to follow participants for up to 15 months.
AstraZeneca's early stage studies have previously shown that antibodies last at least nine
months after the drug is given.
The EMA announced on October 14 that it had started a real-time review of AstraZeneca’s
antibody-based COVID-19 therapy, roughly a week after the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker
sought emergency approval from US authorities. The decision to begin the assessment by the
human medicines committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was based on early
results from clinical studies, the regulator said in a statement, without specifying when a
conclusion was expected.

Budesonide
In a pragmatic British trial, the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide (Pulmicort) shortened the
duration of illness for outpatients at risk for severe disease, and diminished rates of
hospitalization or death.
Inhaled budesonide is often used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
with no serious side-effects associated with short-term use.
However, on May 27 the EMA’s COVID-19 taskforce (COVID-ETF) has advised healthcare
professionals that there is currently ‘insufficient evidence’ that inhaled corticosteroids, such as
budesonide, are beneficial for people with COVID-19.
WHO to Test 3 Drugs as Possible COVID-19 Treatments
The WHO said it will begin testing three drugs currently used to treat other diseases to see if
they can be used as treatments for COVID-19.
At a news briefing on August 11 from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva, WHO Director
General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization, in its ongoing effort to find new
treatments for COVID-19, will begin trials involving:
✓ artesunate, a treatment for severe malaria;
✓ imatinib, a drug for certain cancers; and
✓ infliximab, a treatment for immune system disorders such as Crohn’s disease.
The WHO chief said the drugs were chosen by an independent panel of experts that evaluates
all the available evidence on all potential therapeutics. He added that the testing — known as
the Solidarity PLUS trials — will involve thousands of researchers at more than 600 hospitals in
52 countries.
Failed or Debated Therapies
Hydroxychloroquine

Both the WHO and the NIH recommend against the use of hydroxychloroquine -- with or
without azithromycin -- for the treatment of COVID-19 in both hospitalized and
nonhospitalized patients.
Findings from the RECOVERY trial showed that use of hydroxychloroquine did not reduce
mortality among COVID-19 patients after 28 days, and in fact trended towards risk of death.
Additionally, patients who received the antimalarial drug had a longer median hospital stay
than those who received standard of care.
The FDA granted hydroxychloroquine emergency use authorization in March 2020, but
rescinded it in June following the publication of these findings.
Another clinical trial based in Brazil and published in the New England Journal of Medicine
found that hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin did not improve outcomes for
hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 after 15 days.
Several clinical trials and observational studies have found no benefit of using
hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. One retrospective cohort study based in Michigan,
however, did show improved survival rates among patients that used the drug -- but the study
did not account for confounders including ICU admission differences and dexamethasone use.
Ivermectin
The US recently issued a strong warning against the use of Ivermectin to treat patients of
coronavirus disease. In a statement issued on August 21, the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) said it has not approved Ivermectin for use in treating or preventing Covid-19 in humans
as it is not a drug for treating viruses. “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all.
Stop it,” the FDA notably stated on Twitter.
The government body was sharply reacting towards the use of Ivermectin in Mississippi, the
state worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic across the United States. Several people were found
using the drug to cure the viral disease. Mississippi’s health department issued a warning that
over 70 per cent of the recent calls to the poison department were from people who took
Ivermectin bought at livestock supply centres, according to further reports.
There are some forms of the antiparasitic drug Ivermectin approved by the FDA for human

use. Ivermectin is used to treat two conditions caused by parasitic worms: intestinal
strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis. There are also topical forms of ivermectin used to treat
external parasites on people like head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. These forms of
ivermectin are different from the ones given to animals.
Even the forms of ivermectin approved for human use are not without risks. Ivermectin can
interfere with other medications such as blood thinners, the FDA said. In addition, overdosing
on ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, itching, hives,
dizziness, balance problems, seizures, coma, and death.
Vitamin C
NIH states that there are insufficient data to recommend for or against the use of vitamin C
(ascorbic acid) in COVID-19.
There are several ongoing clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of vitamin C for treating COVID-
19, but few have been completed. A study of 56 hospitalized patients in China found that high-
dose intravenous vitamin C was not effective at preventing mechanical ventilation over a 28-
day period. Additionally, a randomized controlled trial of vitamin C and zinc showed no impact
of either supplement on the course of symptoms in patients with mild illness.
Vitamin D
NIH states that there are insufficient data to recommend for or against the use of vitamin D in
COVID-19.
While vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of community-acquired
pneumonia in older adults and children, no conclusive evidence shows it could be used to fight
COVID-19.
In February, a large randomized Brazilian trial published in JAMA found no difference in length
of hospital stay for those with moderate to severe COVID-19 given high-dose vitamin D or
placebo.
Zinc

NIH states there are insufficient data to recommend for or against the use of zinc in COVID-
19. It also recommends against zinc supplementation above the recommended dietary
allowance for the prevention of COVID-19, except in a clinical trial.
Protease Inhibitors
The NIH recommends against using lopinavir/ritonavir and other HIV protease inhibitors to
treat COVID-19 in hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients because clinical trials have not
shown clinical benefit in COVID patients.
The drugs did not demonstrate efficacy in two large randomized controlled trials of
hospitalized patients -- including the RECOVERY trial and the WHO Solidarity Trial.
Colchicine
Neither the NIH nor WHO have any guidelines concerning this oral anti-inflammatory drug
often used to treat gout, although it is still being investigated as a potential COVID treatment.
The colchicine arm of the RECOVERY trial was recently halted because an independent data
monitoring committee found the drug wasn't helping hospitalized patients with COVID.
However, top-line results from the COLCORONA trial, which were announced in January via a
press release, showed improved outcomes for patients with mild illness from COVID-19.

COVID-19 Developing Vaccinations & Therapeutic Drugs (Update: 15 October 2021)

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