The Single-Dose Vaccine Race: Why Advances From Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer And Sputnik V Are Critical To Fighting The Pandemic

A little over a year after the start of the coronavirus, the world is still struggling to control it. With mutations in the virus, which produce new epidemics, laboratories are working tirelessly to find one. single dose vaccine in order to speed up the vaccination plan and deal with the problems of distribution, storage and production delays that arose. Although less effective, they are believed to be used to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19.

Russia announced that it will launch into the world Sputnik light in March. As stated in Twitter, the product “has already submitted an urgent registration request in Russia and other countries for its vaccine a single dose”And said that always the third phase must be carried out clinical trials of this drug.

// Russia announced the launch of Sputnik Light in March: details of single-dose coronavirus vaccine

On Saturday, the United States approved the coronavirus serum produced by the pharmaceutical company for emergency use Janssen, subsidiary of the American Johnson & johnson (J&J), that ya completed its three phases and requires only one injection.

Meanwhile, the UK is also betting on inoculation with a single dose of the serum produced by Pfizer/BioNTech. It comes after two recent studies endorse a effective protection against the virus only with the first application. It should be noted that in this case it is not two different components as in the case of Russian Sputnik V, otherwise what the second dose is a booster.

Sputnik light

The Russian single-dose coronavirus serum is about to begin the third phase of clinical trials and will begin distribution around the world next March.

// What is Sputnik “light”, the new vaccine that Russia will start testing?

According to its developers, it would reach a 85% efficiency against the virus, against 91.4% of Sputnik V (two doses). However, stressed that it will serve for reduce mortality in situations where it is not possible to inoculate the two doses necessary to strengthen immunity. The idea is that it can be applied in countries that are not able to develop their own vaccine.

The laboratory in charge of the product has specified that reduce in the person receiving it the likelihood of severe development of the coronavirus, but do not exclude it.

They also indicated that the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine could be used as enhancement or to generate a first protection against viruses five months, Moscow authorities explained.

In the case of Sputnik V, pregnant, lactating, immunocompromised or autoimmune diseases can be vaccinated. But it is not yet known if these bands will be included in the “Light” version. At the moment, they have advanced from Moscow that it is not recommended for the people over 60.

Johnson & johnson

At present, it is the only vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States from a single dose. However, its protection against the coronavirus reaches just over half of the other people administered in this country.

Clinical tests carried out with this serum have shown a efficiency against the coronavirus 66%, below the 95% of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines (with two doses) which are used in this country.

The point is that clinical studies have confirmed that the vaccine has a 86% ability to avoid severe cases illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.

// US Approves Johnson & Johnson’s Coronavirus Vaccine, Granting Single Dose Immunity

“We only have one injection. And now we’ve produced data that says our vaccine is very effective, 85% against severe cases of COVID and 100% effective against hospitalization or death, ”the Dr. Mathai Mammen, Global Director of Research and Development for Janssen, the pharmacist in charge of the product.

More than 44,000 volunteers in the United States, South Africa and Latin America participated in the three phases of the clinical trial of this product. And he found that it was 72% effective in the United States, 66% in Latin America, and 57% in South Africa.

The serum turned out to be insurance for people over 65, pregnant women and people with co-morbidities.

Regarding the duration of antibodies, estimates are always used. But studies have shown that at least would protect for 71 days.

The Pfizer / BioNTech strategy

This is a vaccine that has been approved by regulatory authorities in several countries and has already started to be administered. The only thing that would change, in this case, is the replace the frame.

Currently, two doses are applied, but the second is re-exposure to the same antigen to induce a more intense and lasting secondary immune response than primary school. But, two recent studies have shown that with just the first application, the patient can achieve immunity up to 85%.

The first, developed by Sheba Medical Center, in Israel, published by the scientific journal The Lancet, showed an efficacy of 85% between 15 and 28 days after its administration; while the second raised the percentage to 92.6%, according to the publication of two Canadian scientists in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Danuta M. Skowronski, the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (Vancouver), and Gaston De Serres, of National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (Quebec), indicated in their study a second injection does not offer better protection against the virus: “There may be uncertainty about the duration of protection with a single dose, but administering a second dose one month after the first, as recommended, provides little additional short-term benefit”, they declared.

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Scientists, based on reports that Pfizer submitted to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial authorization, with an efficacy of 92.6% – similar to the Moderna vaccine with 92.1% in the former – they point out that “given the shortage current supply, second dose postponement it is a matter of national security ”which, if not taken into account,“ will result in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, which could be avoided with a first dose ”.

The Israeli study highlights the need for additional testing before deciding whether a single dose policy is desirable. But they call that it could be a solution for countries that need to vaccinate a large number of the population and do not have the logistical capacity to administer so many vaccines, he explained. Arnon afek, director of Sheba Medical Center and one of the study’s authors.

This serum was also tested in adults over 65 and people with co-morbidities, and has been shown to be effective.

It is not yet clear how long the antibodies in this vaccine last, but in a letter sent to New England Journal of Medicine, a group of researchers pointed out that serum protection was maintained for 90 days after administration of the second dose, i.e. 119 days after the first application.

As it was not considered a risk group, the testing phases of the three vaccines did not include children under 18. In turn, it is not yet possible to know exactly how long the antibodies produced by these sera will last since they began to be administered very recently. Therefore, it is necessary that those who receive the vaccine have a follow-up to assess the type of defenses they produce and their concentration in the blood over time.

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