As the Omicron variant spreads worldwide and major Covid vaccine manufacturers remain embroiled in debates over global vaccine distribution, a children’s hospital in Texas has taken a surprising action.
Specifically, the Vaccine Development Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, has produced a vaccine ready for distribution. In the last week of 2021, India’s drug policy agency officially licensed a manufacturer in the country to distribute their vaccine, named CORBEVAX.
This vaccine is produced for everyone around the world.
The issue is that CORBEVAX is a very special vaccine: It is the first Covid vaccine produced for everyone globally. It is not patented, nor is it restricted, all for the common goal of human health.
A Gift for Humanity
The initial samples of CORBEVAX were created by scientists from the Vaccine Development Center and Baylor College of Medicine. Currently, the Indian government has quickly ordered 300 million doses. Additionally, BioE—the company responsible for production—plans to produce 100 million doses or more each month, starting from February 2022. Approximately 150 million doses have already been produced and are ready for distribution. BioE aims to provide at least over 1 billion doses to other countries.
This means that CORBEVAX will soon be used to vaccinate more people than the vaccines donated by the U.S. and G7 countries.
Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez – the two scientists who created the CORBEVAX vaccine.
In fact, CORBEVAX has unique characteristics that make it suitable for use in areas with poor infrastructure. Experts state that it is safe, effective, and easy to produce with very high output. Moreover, it is very easy to store at extremely low costs. Vaccine manufacturers hope that this vaccine will be used in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—regions that are facing a severe vaccine imbalance.
CORBEVAX was created using technology that has existed for decades, meaning its production has been widely disseminated without the need for any transformation steps like those required for accessing the mRNA technology of Pfizer or Moderna.
Experts indicate that CORBEVAX is produced through a fermentation process—a method similar to that used for producing hepatitis B vaccines in poorer countries. Like the hepatitis B vaccine, CORBEVAX is also very safe. In phase 3 clinical trials in India, this vaccine only caused very mild side effects, making it one of the safest currently available.
CORBEVAX is created using technology that has existed for decades.
When compared to AstraZeneca—the vaccine from Oxford University—CORBEVAX even produces more antibodies against the Delta and Beta variants. However, there is currently not enough data to confirm its effectiveness against Omicron.
The production cost of CORBEVAX is among the lowest, as it applies widely used technology and the inventors do not intend to profit from it. The fact that hundreds of millions of people have received the hepatitis B vaccine suggests that a large segment of the population may accept this new vaccine. Experts believe that if there is a vaccine that is safe, effective, and low-cost, hesitancy in vaccination will decrease.
In 2022, manufacturers hope that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations will successfully distribute CORBEVAX worldwide. This is an important step in the ongoing global fight against Covid-19.
