When developing a corona vaccine, cooling requirements have been one of the biggest challenges so far.
The Tübingen biotech company CureVac has now given the all-clear.
Researchers
around the
world are looking for a
corona
vaccine.
But the
cooling requirements of
a potential vaccine were seen as a high hurdle.
Now the biotech company
CureVac
could have
achieved an important achievement.
Munich - In the race to develop a
corona vaccine
, the Tübingen biotech company
CureVac could
enter the race with a big plus.
The company's own
Covid-19
* vaccine candidate will remain stable for at least three months even at plus five degrees Celsius, said
CureVac
on Thursday afternoon after evaluating internal test results.
This would allow the vaccine to be transported and stored at refrigerator temperature.
"We see a great advantage in the comparatively low cooling requirements," said a company spokesman on Thursday to Merkur.de *
Our #mRNA # COVID19 #vaccine candidate shows encouraging stability data: #CVnCoV remained stable & within defined specifications for at least three months at standard refrigerator temperature & up to 24 hours as ready- to-use vaccine at room temperature👇https: // t.co/XUcRPv0ZFC pic.twitter.com/ROqpd8KGeH
- CureVac (@CureVacRNA) November 12, 2020
For other
vaccine candidates
, the refrigeration requirements are much higher.
For example, the active ingredient in
Moderna has
to be stored at minus 20 degrees.
According to reports, the
vaccine candidate from Mainz-based biotech company
Biontech even
needs arctic temperatures of minus 70 degrees for transport and logistics to ensure its effectiveness.
Corona: Transport of the vaccine is considered a "logistical nightmare"
The extremely low temperatures are considered to be one of the greatest logistical challenges when using the
vaccines
.
“This is a logistical nightmare,” they say from the industry.
At the logistics giant
Deutsche Post DHL
, for
example
, they have extensive experience in shipping vaccines or medicines that require constant cooling in the range of minus 70 degrees.
However, when
corona vaccines are delivered,
"completely different delivery sizes than before," said a company spokeswoman on Thursday.
Therefore, one is checking at the corresponding locations which adjustments are necessary in order to be able to meet the foreseeable delivery requirements.
Corona: Strong demand for ultra-freezers
Preparations for the new
corona vaccines are
also in full swing in hospitals and doctors' offices
.
According to reports, the prospect of a vaccine has
already fueled
demand for the Arctic refrigerators in the
US
.
However, the high prices represent a major hurdle for many US hospitals. Ultra-freezers cost between $ 10,000 and $ 15,000 each, depending on the equipment.
"Most hospitals in rural regions cannot afford the high-tech refrigerators," reported the US industry portal Statnews.
Here,
CureVac
could
possibly have a competitive advantage with its active ingredient and storage options at refrigerator temperatures.
According to the current planning, the Tübingen-based company intends to check its active ingredient in a large-scale phase IIb / III * test in the current fourth quarter.
The vaccine is to be tested on around 30,000 subjects in Europe and Latin America.
In the first quarter of 2021, the company will then submit an application for rolling approval to the European approval authority
EMA
.
The market launch should take place in mid-2021.
The first interim results are "very promising",
CureVac declared
after evaluating the data from a total of 250 test subjects at the beginning of November.
The active ingredients of
CureVac
and
Biontech
are based on the mRNA method.
Components of the coronavirus genetic material are injected into the body in a fat solution.
In the cells, they should then stimulate the body's own immune system.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen Digtal editorial network.