Researchers at the Migad Center at work. Picture: Joëlle Weil
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interview
“We have the vaccine” – how Israeli researchers are fighting the corona virus
A research team from Israel found a vaccine against the coronavirus. In an interview, CEO David Zigon explains what the next steps are and when the vaccination could be on the market.
It could be in the north of Israel, a few kilometers from the Lebanese border. The answer the world has been waiting for weeks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 3,000 people have already died from the coronavirus, and around 89,000 are infected. Around 45,000 people worldwide were infected and have since recovered. The number of confirmed cases in Switzerland is 24.
The Announcement from the Israeli Migal Research Center is the right answer: The researchers have a vaccine against the virus.
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The composition of the vaccine is actually a coincidence, because the research team has been working on vaccination against a type of coronavirus that occurs in chickens for four years. With the announcement that the knowledge gained can also be applied to people, the state-supported company raises hopes that it must now live up to. Time for a couple of questions for CEO David Zigdon.
“We have known corona viruses for a long time.”: Migad CEO David Zigdon. Picture: Joëlle Weil
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What is the current status of your research work?
David Zigon: We are in a final phase. We plan to manufacture the vaccine within a few weeks and within three months we hope that we will receive all safety approvals so that we can pass on the information we have collected to a potential pharmaceutical partner so that they can take further steps.
In such a case, how long will it take for a vaccine to be available to everyone in pharmacies?
This is closely related to the pharmaceutical partner. We ourselves will not test the vaccine on humans here, this step lies with the partner. The question is how long and on how many subjects he wants to test the vaccine before deciding to launch the vaccine.
But time is short, right?
Yes. In an epidemic like the one we are currently experiencing with the corona virus, I assume that these processes will be shortened. The vaccine may then be available within one and a half years. This usually takes twice as long.
Can you already say what this vaccine will look like?
We want to develop an oral vaccine. This is much more accessible than vaccinations that have to be injected. This is the challenge for us, because the chickens on which we have already tested the vaccine are vaccinated with an injection. It should be different in humans.
A look at the Migad laboratories. Picture: Joëlle Weil
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Can you estimate how expensive such a drug will be for the end customer?
That is hard to say. This decision rests with the pharmaceutical company and is also related to how long and expensive the development path was.
When did your research team realize that the current corona virus is a virus that you are already working on?
We have known corona viruses for a long time. We only knew them from animals. When we finally received the DNA sequencing of this corona virus, we quickly realized that it was an evolution of the virus we know. Until then, we never thought that this type of virus could be relevant to humans.
So far, your team has been researching chickens. In which countries does the corona virus occur in chickens?
Around the world. It was a big problem in Europe a few years ago, including in the Middle East and the United States. The symptoms are the same and the chickens are an extremely contagious and aggressive virus.
Certainly pharmaceutical companies from all over the world are fighting for your knowledge.
We actually have a lot of interested parties. From Europe, the USA and of course also from Asia. We have not yet signed with anyone, because we want to make the right decision in this context.
Where does such a vaccine first come on the market depends on which pharmaceutical partner you choose?
Naturally. We all know that the corona virus has hit China hardest. That is why I also assume that a Chinese pharmaceutical partner is most interested in bringing the vaccine onto the market as soon as possible. Such thoughts naturally accompany us in our decision. We want to find someone who has the courage to make quick decisions in a country or region where it makes the most sense.
