A race has broken out around the world to develop the first remedy for the coronavirus – but the challenges and risks for the pharmaceutical industry are huge.
It’s the big question in the coronapandemic: When does one come vaccine on the market that can protect billions of people from the disease? And which pharmaceutical company makes the breakthrough? It’s about human lives, lots of money and the struggle for a head start: which country gets the vaccine first? Without a means, an everyday life with full bars and clubs, football stadiums or large concerts would be unthinkable for a long time. “In the end, only the vaccine is the solution to the problem,” said the President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Klaus Cichutek.
A race for a corona vaccine has long since started in the pharmaceutical industry. According to the Association of Researching Pharmaceutical Companies (vfa), there are more than 120 vaccine projects worldwide, from small companies such as Biontech from Mainz or Curevac in Tubingen to corporations like Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. Vfa President Han Steutel expects that vaccinations will be available on a global scale in 2021 and that many providers will bring vaccines to market simultaneously or in quick succession.
“It’s a head-to-head race”
“There has never been a concerted campaign by so many researching pharmaceutical companies,” says Thilo Kaltenbach, health expert at strategy consultancy Roland Berger. “It’s a head-to-head race.” Also the interest of politics be immense: “Every government is worried that it may be under-served.”
Kaltenbach is optimistic that a vaccine against the corona pathogen will be available by the end of the year SARS-CoV-2 could be developed. Vaccination can then take place at the earliest in spring. The first clinical trial in Germany conducts Biontech on healthy patients, data may be available from the end of June. If approved, the US partner Pfizer can provide millions of vaccine doses by the end of the year, says Biontech boss Ugur Sahin. At Curevac, according to co-owners Dietmar Hopp clinical tests begin in “early summer”. “So we would be able to deliver the vaccine in the fall.”
The safety of the active ingredient must be confirmed
But such schedules are ambitious. Just a few years ago, the development of a vaccine was estimated to take 15 to 20 years. New, modern technologies can speed up the process, but the safety of the active ingredient must still be confirmed – if possible without side effects.
After all, Europe has good conditions: the large western vaccine companies have 80 percent of their worldwide production here. Few pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Merck & Co dominate the lucrative vaccine market.
Olaf Tölke, pharmaceutical expert at the rating agency Scope, does not believe that a vaccine against the Corona virus is available this year. Research is expensive with error rates of 95 percent.
Tölke: Realistic in the second half of 2021
Tölke sees the French group Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline from Great Britain in a good position. The two largest vaccine specialists in Europe are jointly targeting funds for the second half of 2021. “It’s hard to believe that small companies are faster.”
Once a vaccine has been found, drug authorities could approve it relatively quickly, says consultant Kaltenbach. “The issue is a priority for all authorities.” But even then, a vaccine must first be distributed to billions of people – an immense task, says the World Health Organization.
Pharmaceutical company: Expert Tölke expects a vaccine in the second half of 2021. (Source: MiS / imago images)
There are also national disputes over first access. Sanofi recently gave a foretaste. After an interview by Director General Paul Hudson, who United States When the largest advance order was granted by a financing partner, the waves hit. In the face of protests by the French government, Sanofi made it clear that a vaccine should be available to everyone. “Equal access for everyone to the vaccine is non-negotiable,” said French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. And president Emmanuel Macron urged multilateral action on the distribution.
Different interests collide
Others warn that a corona vaccine should not only be available to the rich. More than 140 presidents, ex-politicians and former senior UN officials recently called for the free distribution of medicines or vaccines. “No one should be put in line for vaccinations because of where they live or where they live,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This is where the interests of listed pharmaceutical companies and ethical questions clash. Scope expert Tölke estimates that developing a vaccine costs hundreds of millions of euros. “Companies run the risk of being late in the race with the competition.” It is also conceivable that a 2021 Corona vaccine will no longer be in such demand once the pandemic is over.
The President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Cichutek, believes that there will probably be a prioritization. Some people would be vaccinated first – such as medical staff or people who could develop serious illnesses.
Richer countries are more likely to come
But despite all the campaigning for coordinated campaigns: rich countries like the USA and European countries are likely to get ahead of poorer countries. In the end, there should be a middle ground between economic and ethical questions.
“Because billions of people oppose that Corona virus Vaccine could not be so expensive, “says Tölke. Nevertheless, a vaccine would be a lucrative business for the pharmaceutical industry.” Whoever has a vaccine first can hope for billions in profits. The whole world will pounce on it. “
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