[전국][황보선의출발새아침] International Vaccine Research Institute Chul-Woo Lee “Securing government vaccines, let’s see…”

YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [황보선의 출발 새아침]

□ Broadcast date and time: January 27, 2021 (Wednesday)
□ Performer: Chul-Woo Lee, Senior Researcher, International Vaccine Research Institute

-Two vaccines are being reviewed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety…
-AstraZeneca may be used prior to approval
-Vaccine and cryogenic distribution managed through 250 vaccination centers
-Unnecessary anxiety about vaccines, obstacles to the formation of group immunity
-The appearance of mutant viruses, influence on vaccination
-Based on the current vaccination target, group immunization is possible until November.

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◇ Anchor Boseon Hwang (hereinafter, Boseon Hwang): Korea is set to start vaccination against Corona 19 next month. The government included’Strategies and Measures for Early Overcoming Corona 19′ in its new work plan announcement yesterday. It presented a large framework for the early introduction and development of vaccines and treatments, and free vaccinations for the whole country. The detailed vaccination plan will be announced tomorrow. Chul-Woo Lee, Senior Researcher at International Vaccination Research Institute, will take you over the phone and hear about the prospect of vaccination in Korea. Good morning?

◆ Chul-Woo Lee, Senior Researcher, International Vaccine Research Institute (Chulwoo Lee): Yes, hello.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: There are countries that have already started vaccination abroad. In our case, it is a little late, but it is a little more hurried to say that the approval will be completed in the beginning of next month and in the second week of February. Do you expect it to pass without much problem?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: Yes. To date, the two vaccines are currently being reviewed as documents have been submitted to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In the case of AstraZeneca vaccine, vaccines produced by domestic pharmaceutical companies are being reviewed not only on overseas clinical results, but also on domestic production processes and quality data, and in the case of Pfizer, it has already been approved in many countries in the United States and Europe. Since the World Health Organization is also on the list of drugs for emergency use, it seems that the screening process can proceed somewhat faster than AstraZeneca, if some part of it is judged by this part. However, since both vaccines have shown efficacy, it is expected that domestic approval will be possible if there is no specificity in the submitted data.

◇ Hwang Bo-sun: Then, isn’t AstraZeneca the vaccine that will be approved in Korea the fastest?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: Yes. In the case of AstraZeneca vaccine, data has already been submitted and review is under way, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also announced that it would approve emergency use within 40 days after receiving verification by expert meeting or central pharmacist review committee required for approval. AstraZeneca approval in early February, and Pfizer’s approval is expected to be approved a little later because it was received a little later than that. Apart from approval, it was not approved in Korea for special import of drugs, but it was not already approved by the World Health Organization. Pfizer registered as a drug for emergency use cannot rule out the possibility of being used prior to approval through this system.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: AstraZeneca is likely to be approved within a week or two, and Pfizer is likely to be approved after March, but there is a door that can be used before approval. AstraZeneca is currently being vaccinated in the UK. Have there been any safety issues so far?

◆ Lee Cheol-Woo: Currently, AstraZeneca has been approved in the UK and India, but according to the data published so far in the UK, about 6.5 million people and about 10% of the population received the first vaccination due to the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccine. Appeared. There have been no special safety issues yet, but in the end, vaccinations started slowly in the UK at first, but the inoculation volume has been increasing recently, so as the daily vaccinations increase, the safety section from the UK, especially the recent section, It is also necessary to carefully observe the parts that come out within 1-2 weeks.

◇ Boseon Hwang: One of the reasons why the AstraZeneca vaccination rate was slow in the early days of the UK is, of course, that it is important to have an vaccination environment, but is it not because citizens are reluctant to vaccination? Apparently, I heard that there were a lot of people in France who would hardly be vaccinated at the beginning, so it was difficult to get vaccinated. So what about Pfizer? I have heard that research has been shown to be effective in Israel or the UK.

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: Israel is the country with the highest vaccination rate in the world right now. In fact, in terms of the population that can be vaccinated, about 30% of the population seems to have received the primary vaccination. Observation of the people who received the vaccine showed that only a small number of confirmed coronaviruses appeared in those who received the Pfizer vaccine, which is seen as a preventive effect by the actual vaccine. However, since vaccinations were generally administered to elderly people, the indicator that probably falls first is that the number of deaths from Corona 19 will decrease first, and as the vaccination rate increases, the overall effect of society appears, so the number of corona 19 confirmations. Also seems to decrease gradually.

◇ Hwang Bo-sun: Right. It’s a well-known story now, but it usually takes 10 years to develop a vaccine, but it’s a vaccine that was developed in a short period of one year. How do you see this part?

◆ Lee, Cheol-Woo: Since we have confirmed the stability of a certain degree through large-scale clinical trials and large numbers once again through large-scale vaccinations, in a way, I think that we have secured enough data for the short-term safety, but still long-term safety. It is necessary to constantly observe.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: Yes. It is known that the distribution method of Pfizer vaccine is difficult. The cold chain method is to keep cryogenically frozen, but can’t the reliability of the distribution process actually be an issue?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: That’s right. I think it’s a very important part. In terms of m-RNA, cryogenic distribution has been recognized and prepared by many countries and the Korean government since the vaccine development stage, so vaccines that can be distributed at room temperature and vaccines that require cryogenic distribution are inoculated at different locations. The government announced, and in the case of cryogenic vaccines, it is expected that inoculation will be carried out through 250 base vaccination centers while overcoming the difficulty of distribution of cryogenic temperatures. It seems that more reliable management can be achieved.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: I see. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this. Reports from Germany that the AstraZeneca vaccine is only 8% less effective than 10% for elderly people over 65 years old. So, I heard that AstraZeneca immediately protested. Did you hear this controversy?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: I think it comes from the interpretation of the clinical trial results. Eventually, even over 65 years of age, it showed excellent efficacy as AstraZeneca announced. It is also important to note that there is also a preventive effect of Corona 19, but even if an actual confirmed person comes out from receiving the vaccination, it has also prevented pneumonia from being very severe or progressing into a worrisome situation from Corona 19. Therefore, if you look at this part together, it seems that it is sufficiently effective in this part because the prevention effect of the Corona 19 vaccine itself is given to the elderly, and even if infected with Corona 19 does not go to severe disease.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: Yes. There were public opinion polls on vaccines in Korea, and many responded that they trusted the vaccine. But I trust it, but when I asked if I was going to get the vaccination, there was a lot of feeling that I was reluctant. How do you interpret it?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: It is very worrisome, but in a way, the vaccine itself is a drug that is used for healthy people, so I think that it is a very desirable phenomenon in view of the awareness of the safety of the vaccine. However, unnecessary anxiety seems to be an obstacle to the formation of group immunity, so in the end, the government announced the need for vaccination and the science of vaccination based on the efficacy of the vaccine and the safety data that have been shown so far, so that awareness of the COVID-19 vaccination is improved. This seems to be the most urgent task. In some ways, it is not that I will not do the vaccination, but I will watch and receive the vaccination, so it will be necessary to persuade those who hesitate to receive the vaccination sufficiently, and if I persuade such people, I think that I can move toward receiving vaccination.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: There are a lot of stories about mutant viruses now. Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun explained that a mutant virus could be introduced, and could it affect the vaccination plan in Korea?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: Looking at the mutant virus that has appeared so far, fortunately, it does not seem that the mutant avoids the effect of the vaccine at all or does this. However, if such mutations continue to accumulate and occur, there is a possibility of avoiding the defense of the vaccine in the end. If so, such mutations appear in the process of vaccination, and then another vaccine must be taken… I cannot rule out this possibility. It. Therefore, it would be important to quickly evaluate and observe the effect of the mutation on the development of vaccines and treatments while continuing to watch mutations. Even if we need to get another vaccine in the worst situation, applying the technology we have currently secured will be one year ahead. We have the technology to develop new vaccines that are much shorter than the period developed during the period, so we can prepare for this part even in the worst situation, but it is still expected to be a factor that can influence vaccination.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: The quarantine authorities have announced that they will achieve collective immunity by November this year. Is there any possibility that this could be pulled a little more?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: As Korea’s prevention system is well-equipped, and the government is taking care of various parts, in the end, I think that it is a possible target if national participation and active vaccination follow. It is shown little by little, so I think that it will be possible to confirm the prevention effect a little earlier than November, so if we consider the current system in Korea, it is a possible target.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: I see. Last year, political circles, especially the opposition parties, complained about the delay in obtaining vaccines. Do you see it as a situation where you can make the same criticism in the current situation?

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: In my opinion, one of the strategies that the Korean government has taken in the end is that when the development of a vaccine has reached some degree of visibility, it has been specifically undertaken such as contracts with vaccine companies. If so, I think that the vaccine cannot be used, the development has failed, or the possibility of this has been reduced as much as possible despite the contract, and now, in the end, the vaccine related to AstraZeneca NovaVax is produced in Korea, so it is smooth in terms of supply to some extent. I think you have taken a strategy that allows you to do it. In the end, I think it is a little more important to prepare for the process and get the vaccination quickly, rather than starting the vaccination one or two months earlier.

◇ Hwang Bo-seon: Yes, I will listen to you today. Thank you.

◆ Lee Cheol-woo: Thank you.

◇ Boseon Hwang: Until now, Cheolwoo Lee was a senior researcher at the International Vaccine Research Institute.