For their corona immunization, some people are waiting for vaccines that are based on different technologies than the previously available vaccines. Nuvaxovid is just about to be approved for such a product. A commission of the EU Medicines Agency (EMA) wants to deal with the application from the manufacturer Novavax today.
? How does the Novavax vaccine work?
According to the German Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), Nuvaxovid consists of virus-like particles that contain the spike protein of the coronavirus. The body recognizes the proteins as foreign and the immune system is turned on – specific antibodies and T cells are formed. The mRNA preparations work differently: Here, body cells are stimulated with the help of fragments of genetic material to produce the spike protein themselves in order to trigger an immune response.
? How well does Novavax’s new vaccine work?
In a pivotal study by Novavax, its effectiveness in terms of disease was 90 percent. This means that 90 percent fewer diseases occurred among the subjects in the vaccinated group than among the subjects in a control group. Two doses were given three weeks apart. However, the results mainly relate to the alpha variant, which has been almost completely displaced by Delta. According to experts, the new Omikron variant will soon have a strong influence on the infection process. “This vaccine will also have to be adapted to Omikron,” wrote Carsten Watzl, Secretary General of the German Society for Immunology.
? Why are some people waiting for this vaccine?
Some seem to have greater reliance on vaccines made by classical methods. For example, there is a distrust of the new mRNA technology on which the vaccines from Moderna and Biontech / Pfizer are based. There are concerns that these could cause previously unknown long-term damage. Experts now believe that it is almost impossible for the approved vaccines to have long-term effects that are still unknown.
“When it comes to alternatives to the approved vaccines, the term dead vaccine is often used. What’s behind it?
According to the Federal Ministry of Research, inactivated vaccines contain pathogens that have been killed, i.e. no longer able to reproduce. They can also contain only components or individual molecules of these pathogens. Examples are vaccines against hepatitis A and influenza. The body cannot differentiate between the dead vaccine and the pathogen and activates a targeted immune system that protects against a real infection. For some people who have previously refused a vaccination, this approach sounds “more natural” than that of mRNA vaccines, for example.
? Is the class of dead vaccines clearly defined?
No. The term is not used consistently. If the definition is that the real virus or at least parts of it must be included in the vaccine, Novavax, for example, would not be a dead vaccine in the narrower sense. Because the crucial component that is supposed to trigger the immune response was not taken from a real virus, but is a genetically engineered virus protein. On the other hand, one could also say that all vaccines without living – i.e. reproductive – pathogens are dead vaccines. “The name is wrong,” says Watzl. “All Covid-19 vaccines approved to date are dead vaccines.” What many mean by dead vaccine are “vaccines that are based on principles that are also used in other vaccinations”.
? Which vaccines against Covid-19 could be coming soon?
Several products are already being assessed in the EMA’s rolling review process, although not all parts of the approval application have yet been submitted. For example, the vaccines from the Franco-Austrian manufacturer Valneva and the Chinese manufacturer Sinovac contain killed coronaviruses.
? Is it worth waiting for other vaccines?
If someone only wants to be vaccinated with such a vaccine, then that is still better than being completely unvaccinated, “says immunologist Carsten Watzl. But he thinks it is unwise to wait – Novavax will not come until next year, Valneva at the earliest second quarter of 2022. “Those who wait for these vaccines are unprotected for a long time. Therefore: Better vaccinate now than wait. “
Source: Nachrichten
