Vaccine
(Photo: Reuters)



Pharmaceutical and biotech companies all over the world now report the development of their versions of COVID-19 vaccines, which are now scheduled for human clinical trials.

There are more than 30 pharmaceutical companies around the globe that are on the race of developing the first vaccine against COVID-19. Among these companies, three discontinued developing, while two failed during their human clinical trials according to a report.

PRESENT CASES OF COVID-19 ACROSS THE GLOBE

According to the present data, there are more than 1.6 million individuals who have tested positive for the virus and a death toll of more than 95,000 across the globe. This number is expected to increase if there is no vaccine available soon.

It is for this reason that different governments and health authorities across the globe have different strategies of flattening the curve, some of which are the stringent implementation of social distancing, restriction of mass gatherings, home quarantine and isolation, and many more.

However, there are only ways to avoid the spread of the virus and are disruptive to everyone's routine. Not to mention, it globally affects economics, tourism, and almost all factors of a country's progress.

PHARMACEUTICAL OR BIOTECH COMPANIES THAT ARE SCHEDULED FOR HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS 

1. Amgen Inc. and Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp.

Type: Treatment

Stage: Preclinical

Development: 

  • In the official statement of the company on April 2, they said: "The very early-stage collaboration seeks to discover and develop antibodies that can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19. Financial terms of the exclusive collaboration will be finalized in the coming weeks." Robert Bradway, Amgen's chairman, and CEO, also said: "Working with Adaptive and using their viral-neutralizing antibody platform will expedite our ability to bring a promising new medicine into clinical trials as quickly as possible."

2. BioNTech SE, U.S. and Pfizer Inc., U.S.

Type: Vaccine

Stage: Preclinical

Name: BNT162 

Development:

  • Pfizer announced that it would help BioNTech to develop and distribute the latter's vaccine, but this will not include China. The company plans to have clinical trials in Germany and in the United States. Moreover, BioNTech is testing the vaccine in collaboration with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. in China.

3. CalciMedica Inc.

Type: Treatment

Stage: Phase 2

Name: CM4620-IE 

Development:

  • The company plans to test the investigational drug on 60 patients who have severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Dr. Charles Bruen, critical care and emergency physician at Regions Hospital, said: "It has the potential to prevent the development of [acute respiratory distress syndrome, or] ARDS, in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, and reduce the need for ventilators at a time when there is a shortage of ventilators in health care facilities across the U.S."

4. CytoDyn Inc., U.S.

Type: Treatment

Stage: Phase 2 clinical trial

Name: Leronlimab 

Development:

  • The company said that the U.S. FDA already gave a green signal for a mid-stage trial for its experimental drugs to the COVID-19 patients. The drug developed by the company is proposed as a treatment for patients who have mild to moderate symptoms of respiratory complications.

5. Dynavax Technologies Corp., U.S.

Type: Adjuvant platform for vaccines 

Development:

  • The company announced in March that its Adjuvant technology could help provide an increased immune response to a vaccine. The company is also working right now with the University of Queensland, Australia in developing a vaccine.

When asked, however, the question of when vaccines will be available, still, it cannot be answered at this time.

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