
<p>(Reuters) &#8211; Moderna Inc (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/MRNA.O">MRNA.O</a>) said on Wednesday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine induced immune responses in older adults similar to those in younger participants, offering hope that it will be effective in people considered to be at high risk for severe complications from the coronavirus.</p>



<p>The company is one of the leading contenders in the race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has killed more than 820,000 people worldwide. Its candidate, mRNA-1273, is already in late-stage human trials testing its ability to safely prevent infection.</p>



<p>The latest data from an early Phase I study includes an analysis from 20 additional people detailing how the vaccine performed in older adults.</p>



<p>The analysis looked at subjects given the 100-microgram dose being tested in the much larger Phase III trial. Moderna said the immune responses in those aged between ages 56 and 70, above age 70 and those 18 to 55-years-old were similar.</p>



<p>Health officials have been concerned about whether vaccine candidates would work in older people, whose immune systems typically do not respond as strongly to vaccines.</p>



<p>Moderna shares, which have more than tripled in value this year, rose about 6% after the data’s release.</p>



<p>The company has so far enrolled over 13,000 participants in its late-stage study. About 18% of the total participants are Black, Latino, Native American or Alaska Native, groups that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and are often under represented in clinical trials.</p>



<p>Dr. Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s head of infectious disease development, told a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel the company plans to post weekly updates on enrollment of Black and Latino trial subjects on its website.</p>



<p>Pfizer Inc (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/PFE.N">PFE.N</a>) told Reuters last week that 19% of the 11,000 subjects already enrolled in its vaccine trial are Black or Latino.</p>



<p>Miller said the demographic makeup of Moderna’s trial is a frequent topic at meetings with U.S. officials heading the White House program aimed at accelerating development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">DEEP FREEZE</h3>



<p>Companies and health officials also are working on ways to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, some of which must be shipped and stored at extremely cold temperatures.</p>



<p>Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, questioned Pfizer’s plans after the company said its vaccine must be stored at ultra-low temperatures for up to 6 months or in specially designed shipping containers for up to 10 days.</p>



<p>Once removed from the containers, the vaccine can be kept for up to a day at a temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (36-46°F) &#8211; roughly the temperature of a normal refrigerator &#8211; or 2 hours at room temperature.</p>



<p>“The complexities of this plan for vaccine storage and handling will have major impact in our ability to efficiently deliver the vaccine,” Messonnier said.</p>



<p>Pfizer told the CDC panel it is working on making the vaccine stable at higher temperatures. Pfizer shares were down about 1.5%.FILE PHOTO: A sign marks the headquarters of Moderna Therapeutics, which is developing a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo</p>



<p>Moderna’s vaccine has to be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius for shipping and longer-term storage of up to six months, but it can be kept at regular refrigeration temperatures for up to 10 days. The vaccine will be distributed in 10-dose vials with no preservatives, the company said.</p>



<p>Moderna is also working to make the vaccine stable at higher temperatures, Miller said.</p>



<p>Moderna, which has never brought a vaccine to market, has received nearly $1 billion from the U.S. government under its Operation Warp Speed program. It has also struck a $1.5 billion supply agreement with the United States.</p>


Clarification on COVID-19 “hotspots” as SA moves to level 3 lockdown

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears to work as well in older adults in early study

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<p>Nigeria’s agriculture sector grew by 1.58 per cent in the second quarter of the year despite the economic headwinds that led to a 6.05 per cent decline of the non-oil sector economy. Nigeria is targeting smallholder farmers to drive the first phase of the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan. Chike Nwagwu, CEO of Novus Agro joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Nigeria’s agriculture sector sees positive growth in Q2 despite COVID-19 headwinds

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<p>The global tally for confirmed COVID-19 cases has surpassed 21 million. The search for a vaccine has seen different countries attempt to put their best foot forward. Nigeria is looking to resume international flight next week Saturday. Niniola Williams, Managing Director of DRASA Health Trust joins CNBC Africa to assess Africa&#8217;s COVID-19 vaccine hunt.</p>


Assessing Africa’s hunt for the COVID-19 vaccine

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<p>The global race for a COVID-19 vaccine has been won by Russia who announced that it has produced the first batch of its vaccine this week. However in South Africa, the motto of slow and steady wins the race is in full effect as American vaccine group Novavax will begin a phase two clinical trial in the country this week. Joining CNBC Africa to unpack more on the progress of South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine trial is Dr Clare Cutland, Scientific Coordinator for the African Leadership in Vaccinology Expertise Consortium.</p>


Novavax begins phase two COVID-19 vaccine trail in SA


<p>U.S. drug developer Novavax Inc said on Monday that it is starting a mid-stage study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, as the country experiences a surge in coronavirus cases.</p>



<p>The Phase 2b trial study of NVX-CoV2373 will be conducted on about 2,665 healthy adults and will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity in about 240 medically stable, HIV-positive adults, the company said in a statement&nbsp;<a href="https://reut.rs/3g0sRzb.">reut.rs/3g0sRzb.</a></p>



<p>“Because South Africa is experiencing a winter surge of COVID-19 disease, this important Phase 2b clinical trial has the potential to provide an early indication of efficacy, along with additional safety and immunogenicity data for NVX-CoV2373,” said Novavax research chief Gregory Glenn.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1189261957-1110x767.jpg" alt="Bill Gates: ‘I wish I had done more’ to warn world about pandemic danger" class="wp-image-371281"/><figcaption>Bill Gates: ‘I wish I had done more’ to warn world about pandemic danger (Photo by Hou Yu/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



<p>South Africa is fifth worst affected country with 583,653 coronavirus cases and 11,677 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.</p>



<p>The Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation is providing a $15 million grant towards the clinical trial, the company said.</p>



<p>Novavax said it intends to initiate the Phase 2 portion of this trial in the United States and Australia in the near future and that it would include about 1,500 candidates.</p>



<p>Earlier this month, Glenn told Reuters the company would start much larger late-stage clinical trials soon and could potentially glean enough data to obtain regulatory approvals as early as December.</p>



<p>The U.S. government in July had awarded Novavax $1.6 billion to cover testing and manufacturing of a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus in the United States with the aim of delivering a 100 million doses by January.</p>



<p>Last month, AstraZeneca said late-stage trials of its experimental drug AZD1222, which is developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, are under way in Brazil and South Africa and due to start in the United States, where prevalence is higher.</p>


Novavax begins mid-stage study of COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa

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<p>This week the Unites Stated and the UK have had encouraging updates of their respective Covid-19 vaccine trials, showing promising results which could see a vaccine available as early next year.  Back home in South Africa, we are about a month into our vaccine trial and the country is experiencing volatile surges in case numbers, will this be a threat to the progress of the vaccine trial? Joining CNBC Africa for more is Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Witwatersrand.</p>


How close is SA to a COVID-19 vaccine?


<p>GENEVA/ZURICH (Reuters) &#8211; Researchers are making “good progress” in developing vaccines against COVID-19, with a handful in late-stage trials, but their first use cannot be expected until early 2021, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Wednesday.</p>



<p>WHO is working to ensure fair vaccine distribution, but in the meantime it is key to suppress the virus’s spread, said Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies programme, as daily new cases around the globe are at near-record levels.</p>



<p>“We’re making good progress,” Ryan said, noting that several vaccines were now in phase 3 trials and none had failed, so far, in terms of safety or ability to generate an immune response.</p>



<p>“Realistically it is going to be the first part of next year before we start seeing people getting vaccinated,” he told a public event on social media.</p>



<p>WHO was working to expand access to potential vaccines and to help scale-up production capacity, Ryan said.</p>



<p>“And we need to be fair about this, because this is a global good. Vaccines for this pandemic are not for the wealthy, they are not for the poor, they are for everybody,” he said.</p>



<p>The U.S. government will pay $1.95 billion to buy 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc and German biotech BioNTech if it proves safe and effective, the companies said.</p>



<p>Ryan also cautioned schools to be careful about re-opening until community transmission of COVID-19 is under control. Debate in the United States over restarting education has intensified, even as the pandemic flares up in dozens of states.</p>



<p>“We have to do everything possible to bring our children back to school, and the most effective thing we can do is to stop the disease in our community,” he said. “Because if you control the disease in the community, you can open the schools.”</p>


Don’t expect first COVID-19 vaccinations until early 2021 – WHO’s Ryan

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<p>The COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring misery to health systems around the world; shuddering the global economy. In the last few months, countries are in a race to find a vaccine for this invisible enemy. Joining CNBC Africa for more on the initiatives being taken to develop a vaccine is Rhulani Nhlaniki, Country Manager at Pfizer Laboratories.</p>


Pfizer coronavirus vaccine show early promise

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<p>South Africa’s first clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine is entering its fourth week, with around 2000 volunteers participating. However, following the start of the trial, anti-vaccine protestors took to the streets to convey their concerns and sentiments with vaccine testing. Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director for Country Programmes at Gavi spoke to CNBC Africa for more.</p>


COVID-19: Understanding anti-vaccine sentiment in South Africa

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<p>The University of Witwatersrand in conjunction with leading health experts have announced the details of South Africa’s and Africa’s first COVID-19 vaccine trials. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Witwatersrand.</p>


SA’s first COVID-19 vaccine trial to start tomorrow

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<p>Globally health sectors have been under immense pressure as they are at the forefront of fighting against the spread and treatment of Covid-19. In South Africa the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa (IPASA) is committed to ensuring that the supply of medicines for chronic diseases continues during the lock-down and that its 26 research-based pharmaceutical companies continue to aid in the fight against Covid-19. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Dr, Konji Sebati, CEO of the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa.</p>


IPASA’s Konji Sebati on the global search for the COVID-19 vaccine

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<p>Johnson &#038; Johnson has announced the selection of a lead Covid-19 vaccine candidate with an expansion of its existing partnerships between the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson &#038; Johnson and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The company expects to start human trials of the vaccine by September this year, joining for more is Ludovic de Beaucoudrey, Medical Affairs Director at Janssen South Africa.</p>


covid-19 vaccine

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears to work as well in older adults in early study

Nigeria’s agriculture sector sees positive growth in Q2 despite COVID-19 headwinds

Assessing Africa’s hunt for the COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax begins phase two COVID-19 vaccine trail in SA

Novavax begins mid-stage study of COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa

How close is SA to a COVID-19 vaccine?

Don’t expect first COVID-19 vaccinations until early 2021 – WHO’s Ryan

Pfizer coronavirus vaccine show early promise

COVID-19: Understanding anti-vaccine sentiment in South Africa

SA’s first COVID-19 vaccine trial to start tomorrow

IPASA’s Konji Sebati on the global search for the COVID-19 vaccine

Johnson & Johnson looks to start human trials of COVID-19 vaccine in September

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covid-19 vaccine

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears to work as well in older adults in early study

Nigeria’s agriculture sector sees positive growth in Q2 despite COVID-19 headwinds

Assessing Africa’s hunt for the COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax begins phase two COVID-19 vaccine trail in SA

Novavax begins mid-stage study of COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa

How close is SA to a COVID-19 vaccine?

Don’t expect first COVID-19 vaccinations until early 2021 – WHO’s Ryan

Pfizer coronavirus vaccine show early promise

COVID-19: Understanding anti-vaccine sentiment in South Africa

SA’s first COVID-19 vaccine trial to start tomorrow

IPASA’s Konji Sebati on the global search for the COVID-19 vaccine

Johnson & Johnson looks to start human trials of COVID-19 vaccine in September

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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