Developing a new vaccine typically takes many years, but pharmaceutical companies are trying to push one out in the next 12-18 months.
In a series of breathtaking multibillion-dollar bets by vaccine makers, possible candidates to fight the new coronavirus are being prepared for production across the globe, before it’s even known whether any of them will work.
“I think the goal of 18 months is one that will be very, very difficult to achieve," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. “But it just may be our moon shot.” Story continues“This is indeed a brave new world,” said L.J. Tan chief strategy officer at the Immunization Action Coalition, which distribute information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s absolutely unprecedented, and it shows the strong commitment by our industry to eradicate COVID-19 and get any future vaccine to patients as quickly as possible, despite the incredible risks involved,” said Phyllis Arthur, vice president of Infectious Diseases & Diagnostics Policy at the biotechnology industry group BIO.
“Production has started for many programs at limited scale; full-scale production should be underway by summer,” Robinson said. “Companies don’t want to risk making all those doses until they know a vaccine is going to be licensed and can be sold,” said Kathleen Neuzil, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Maybe you say, ‘This is a pandemic. It’s important enough that we’ll try,’” Neuzil said. “It’s absolutely a gamble. There’s no doubt about it.”
No one has ever developed a vaccine for the common cold, which is often caused by different strains of the coronavirus. Attempts at a vaccine for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome led to animals getting sick. The SARS virus is closely related to the COVID-19 virus.
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