With phase III COVID-19 vaccine trials each enrolling 30,000 participants or more in the U.S. and randomizing half of them to a placebo arm, only 150 incidents of the coronavirus infection are needed in a trial to show if the vaccine is at least 50% effective, NIH Director Francis Collins testified at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing Sept. 9.

A phase III trial of AZD-1222, an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Astrazeneca plc and Oxford University, has been paused due to an unexplained illness that occurred in the U.K., the company said on Sept. 8.

LONDON – Results from two non-randomized phase I/II trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V that recently received conditional regulatory approval show both a frozen and a freeze-dried formulation of the two-shot vaccine had a good safety profile and induced antibody responses in all 76 participants within 21 days.

DUBLIN – Spybiotech Ltd. has secured a first vaccine deal for its proprietary Spytag/Spycatcher protein conjugation technology. The Serum Institute of India Pvt. Co. Ltd. (SIIPL) is employing the technology in a COVID-19 virus-like-particle (VLP)-based vaccine, which recently entered a phase I/II trial in Australia. An initial data readout is expected in October or November.

LONDON – Results from two non-randomized phase I/II trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V that recently received conditional regulatory approval show both a frozen and a freeze-dried formulation of the two-shot vaccine had a good safety profile and induced antibody responses in all 76 participants within 21 days.

LONDON – CEOs of five leading biopharma companies have hit back against any suggestion COVID-19 vaccines and therapies could be approved in advance of phase III data, saying it is imperative the highest standards of quality, safety and efficacy are upheld everywhere. The most important thing is to reinforce to the public the commitment to safety as the number one priority, said Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co. Inc.

The idea of being able to produce vaccines at the point of care with the push of a button may sound futuristic, but Codex DNA Inc. claims it will have the first fully automated, tabletop vaccine printer ready for the market in 18-24 months. Will this be a game-changer in rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine? Probably not. But the technology could better position health officials to respond to the next pandemic, or eventually to produce a better, faster influenza vaccine each year.

As 2020 approaches its last quarter, scientists around the globe continue their all-consuming efforts to find effective therapeutics and vaccines to fight the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, which currently has a 3.35% fatality rate and has been plaguing the world for more than half a year. While the fight rages on, people are growing weary of political posturing and community debates. They face a serious conundrum of how to best protect those vulnerable to the virus, while still considering the psychological and economic impacts of societal lockdowns.