AstraZeneca's vaccine will soon be approved in the EU.
But what distinguishes it from the active ingredient from Biontech?
AstraZeneca has
already approved
the
vaccine
in the UK
.
The European Union has ordered several
hundred million doses of
the vaccine.
But what is the difference to the
Biontech vaccine
?
In the past year, numerous companies
around the world
worked
hard on a
vaccine against the coronavirus
, hoping to get the pandemic under control.
As
reported by echo24.de
*,
Biontech's
vaccine was
first approved in Great Britain, followed by the USA, Canada and the European Union (EU).
AstraZeneca's vaccine has now also received approval in the UK *.
A release from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still
pending
and, according to
gofeminin.de, will
probably take place in February at the earliest.
Months ago, the EU ordered
300 million doses of the vaccine
.
There is also an option for a further 100 million cans.
But what is the difference
between AstraZeneca and Biontech vaccines
?
Coronavirus vaccine: this is how AstraZeneca's active ingredient works
The approach to vaccine development is
completely different
for the two
vaccines against the coronavirus
.
According to the
Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) for vaccines and biomedical drugs,
AstraZeneca's
new active ingredient
is
a so-called vector
vaccine
.
A chimpanzee cold virus is used, which cannot reproduce in humans, as
reported by
infranken.de
.
In order for the virus to
protect
against the
coronavirus
, however, the gene must be modified in such a way that it contains the blueprint for the production of the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein.
This spike protein is responsible in the body for enabling the virus to multiply.
Coronavirus vaccine: AstraZeneca relies on best practice
In the body, this blueprint then gets into some body cells, which then begin to produce this spike protein.
Since the body's own immune system does not know this protein, it begins with the production of antibodies and T cells, which are then
supposed to protect against
the
coronavirus
disease
.
So far, however, there are only a few
vaccines
that use the vector method, but it is still considered to be tried and tested and effective.
In addition to the
vaccine against the coronavirus
, the active ingredient that protects against Ebola is also based on the vector process.
Vaccine against the coronavirus: Biontech relies on new mRNA process
Biontech
meanwhile relies on an mRNA-based
vaccine
.
In contrast to conventional vaccines, according to the Mainz-based company, these contain no viral proteins, "only the information that our own cells need to produce a virus characteristic that triggers the desired immune response".
+
AtraZenca's vaccine is already being vaccinated in the UK.
© Gareth Fuller / dpa
This mRNA is released in the body and uses "small, harmless fragments of the Covid 19 virus" to explain to the cells how they can "recognize and attack the virus".
The cells remember this information and thus ensure immunity against the
coronavirus
.
In addition, not only should the replication and spread in the body be prevented, but also transmission to other people.
Coronavirus vaccine: That's how effective the active ingredients from AstraZeneca and Biontech are
The mRNA vaccine - which Moderna and CureVac are also developing - from
Biontech
has an effectiveness of around 95 percent after two vaccinations within three weeks.
AstraZeneca assumed
protection of just around 70 percent in November 2020.
In the meantime, a team of researchers at Oxford University has found that
protection of around 90 percent is achieved
with two lower
doses
.
With
two full doses
, however, the value was just 62 percent.
However, criticism has been
leveled
against the
fact that
AstraZeneca's vaccine has
only been tested on subjects under the age of 55 and therefore no information is available about its effectiveness in seniors.
Oxford / Astra vaccine shows about 90% effectiveness in the best dosage (2 vaccinations).
Stored in refrigerators, billions of euros will be produced non-profit in 2021 and, in a study, avoided all difficult processes.
A sensational success.
Congratulations Oxford https://t.co/xkgKfHABkw
- Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) November 23, 2020
Vaccine against the coronavirus: differentiate between AstraZeneca and Biontech in the overview
Vector vs. mRNA vaccine:
The British-Swedish company AstraZeneca uses
the vector method
for its vaccine against the
coronavirus
.
Biontech, on the other hand, has developed a
vaccine
based on the mRNA.
Unlike the vector method, this has not yet been used in practice.
Efficacy:
Both vaccines are highly effective at the correct dose, but must be administered twice.
The active ingredient from
AstraZeneca
achieves a protection of 90 percent, that of
Biontech
protects about 95 percent against infection.
Storage
: Storage is one of the great advantages
of AstraZeneca's vaccine
.
While the
Biontech active ingredient
must be stored at a temperature of -70 degrees, the vector
vaccine
can be stored in the refrigerator.
Thus, it is also suitable for medical practices and a nationwide vaccination.
Price:
As
welt.de
reports, the
vaccine from AstraZeneca is
also significantly cheaper than the
Biontech competitor at
1.78 euros per dose
.
This costs around 12 euros per can.
According to
welt.de, the
higher costs are
probably related to the manufacturing process.
Side effects:
The side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine * hardly differ from those of the active ingredient from Biontech *.
However, there were
several problems with allergic reactions *
with the
vaccine from
the Mainz-based company.
*
echo24.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network
List of rubric lists: © John Cairns / University Of Oxford