Austria announces lockdowns and is the first in Europe to promise mandatory covid-19 vaccination since February. In Slovakia, some congested hospitals have to choose to whom care to provide. In Germany, people without vaccinations cannot go to public transport or work without a test.
Restrictions have led many people to be vaccinated, but many Europeans still reject it. Not surprisingly, pharmaceutical companies are looking for a more acceptable form of vaccine: not in injection, but in tablet. Israeli society is starting to test it. “It will be one vaccine that will be effective against all variants because it is made from three proteins,” believes Oramed CEO Nadav Kidron.
How to release the active substance in the intestine?
The technology for the release of the active substance in the intestine is essential. “There are a lot of immune cells in the gut. You can stimulate a very good immune response there if you get the vaccine in your gut. But before that, the pill has to go through a complex process in a highly acidic stomach environment, ”explains University of Warwick virologist Lawrence Young.
Only 24 volunteers will receive the Oravax vaccine in a test in South Africa. Verify security. The company will measure their antibodies before, during and after the study. And the advantage is not just the absence of a needle. “It won’t have the same side effects as injections because it’s an oral administration, people will be more willing and logistically easier,” says Kidron.
Classic vaccines are expensive. They are transported and stored in freezers. Only doctors and nurses can give the injection. Distribution is a problem in hot and poor countries, where vaccination coverage is low due to unavailability.
Pfizer and Merck are preparing an antiviral drug
In parallel with the development of the oral vaccine, another pharmaceutical struggle is underway. About the development of an antiviral drug, a drug for covid, which could be taken as a tablet at home without the need for an infusion. Pfizer is applying for permission in the United States. Maybe he’ll get it this winter.
Britain was the first in the world to allow the use of a competing drug from Merck. “Having a strong antiviral that can be taken orally is a very important moment, it’s a breakthrough,” said Liverpool Pharmacology Professor Saye Khoo.
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But even that will not end the pandemic. The oral covid vaccine has a better chance. Like the polio that eradicated the disease in the world except Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the journey to it will take months.
The results of the South African study for Oravax will be in the quarter of next year. After publication and verification, the manufacturer must convince authorities in other countries of the second phase of testing. More people already.
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