[단독] Nova Vaccines, Pfizer Vaccines, etc. will be announced soon.

In addition to Corona 19 vaccines such as Pfizer, Modena, AstraZeneca, and Janssen, the government is expected to purchase 10 million US NovaVaxes sooner or later. NovaVax is evaluated for its relatively high safety compared to other vaccines. In addition, a contract for 10 million Pfizer vaccines will be received from the International Vaccine Organization, and it is expected that the vaccine will be secured for 66 million people soon. As the efficacy and side effects of the vaccine are not yet perfect, purchase various vaccines as much as possible to maximize the risk in the vaccination process. It is intended to reduce.

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun presided over the Corona 19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on the 12th and said, “The government has made efforts to introduce additional vaccines for another platform, and there has been considerable progress recently.” Later, I will report it to the public.”

The government has contracted for a total of 56 million vaccines so far, and the vaccination will begin in earnest from next month. Each manufacturer includes 10 million Pfizer, 20 million Modena, 10 million AstraZeneca, 6 million Janssen, and 10 million contracted with COVAX facility, a multinational vaccine organization that has not yet officially announced the manufacturer. .

According to the results of Maeil Economic Daily’s interview, the vaccine on another platform that Prime Minister Chung is talking about is NovaVax of the United States, and the type of vaccine contracted with Covax Facility, a multinational vaccine organization, was finally confirmed as Pfizer.

NovaVax is evaluated for its relatively high safety compared to other vaccines. A government official said, “Since the vaccine efficacy and side effects are not yet perfect, we will minimize the risk in the vaccination process by purchasing a variety of vaccines as much as possible.”

The number of vaccines that Cobax Facility can provide has been limited to 10 million people, but the type of vaccine has been veiled. The day before, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) chief Jung Eun-kyung at a briefing said, “We have notified the vaccine that COVAX facility can provide, and we are adjusting the purchase intention and schedule for the vaccine. We are still discussing the type, quantity, and timing of the vaccine.” Said. However, a government official said on the day that “Pfizer was notified of the vaccine supplied to Pfizer, and the quantity was approximately 10 million people.”

The Blue House and the ruling party have announced that they will secure a vaccine supply equivalent to 120% of the population (518.3 million). When NovaVax and Pfizer are finally signed, it means that they will secure a vaccine volume approaching 127% of the population.

NovaVax, which the government plans to acquire additionally, is a vaccine platform that is different from the previously contracted vaccines. In the case of Pfizer and Modena, it is a’mRNA’ method that generates antigens in the body through a’messenger’ that directs cells to make harmless viruses. AstraZeneca and Janssen are a’viral vector’ method that puts viral DNA into the human body by inserting another virus. This is different from traditional vaccine manufacturing.

On the other hand, NovaVax’s recombinant protein vaccine is a traditional vaccine manufacturing method that synthesizes fragments of the spike protein of the Corona 19 virus and puts it into the body. Because it is a protein fragment, not a genetic material or virus, it is also the greatest strength that it can be stored at room temperature like other vaccines at 2-8 degrees. It means that the safety has been proved, and medical experts say that it is relatively safe even for the elderly with weak immunity.

NovaVax recently entered a phase 3 clinical trial of a vaccine in cities such as the United States and Mexico. In addition, the advantage of NovaVax vaccine is that SK Bioscience is in charge of drug consignment development (CDMO) in Korea and is undergoing preparation procedures for commercial production. CDMO is the participation of consignees from the development process, which is a step earlier than consignment production (CMO), which simply produces products. For this reason, the industry predicted that it would be more advantageous to secure domestic supplies.

Prime Minister Chung said on the day, “Even if you get the vaccine, you cannot know how long the immunity will last, and there is a possibility that there is a risk of safety problems. If you cannot speed up the vaccination, you may have to discard the vaccine as it is due to the short expiration date.” did.

In the end, even if the vaccine is brought into Korea one after another, various variables such as shelf life, storage system, and safety are expected, so the government’s intention is to bring in as many types of vaccine as possible to reduce the risk.

[이지용 기자 / 윤지원 기자]
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