Hurry Up And Wait: The State Of The Race For A Coronavirus Vaccine

WAMU 88.5 | By James Morrison

Published September 11, 2020 at 3:25 PM CDT

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Filling and packaging tests for the large-scale production and supply of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, are being conducted on a high-performance aseptic vial filling line at the Italian biologics manufacturing facility of multinational corporation Catalent in Anagni, southeast of Rome, during the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.

The race to develop a vaccine to combat coronavirus has been raging for months. While companies and countries around the world have been moving at historic speeds, it’s still hard to say when it will be widely available.

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer says results from late-stage trials could be ready by mid-October. But many immunologists say that’s unrealistic. Phase 3 clinical trials are full of fits and starts, like in the case of British-Swedish company AstraZeneca.

And to shore up public confidence in the process, nine drug companies have pledged to only seek regulatory approval for a vaccine once it works safely in clinical trials.

We’re taking at the process behind the rush to produce a safe, effective and trustworthy vaccine.