This New Patent-Free COVID Vaccine Is Being Heralded As A ‘Gift To The World’

While the Omicron variant spreads worldwide and major COVID vaccine manufacturers argue over global access, a vaccine developed by the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (Texas Children’s CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine is ready for use. 

CORBEVAX, developed two years into the outbreak, is the first COVID vaccine claimed to be created exclusively for global health. It is a watershed moment for global vaccination distribution, something we believe will overcome vaccine mistrust. In addition, it serves as a model for developing a strong vaccine for pandemic usage without significant public funding.

The Indian government has already placed an order for 300 million doses. The vaccine’s manufacturer, Biological E. Limited (BioE), plans to produce 100 million or more doses every month starting in February. A total of 150 million doses have been made and are ready to be distributed. BioE plans to provide over one billion extra doses to other countries in addition to what it is presently giving to India. As a result, CORBEVAX will soon vaccinate more people than the US government or any other G7 country has done so far.

This new COVID vaccination has numerous characteristics that make it ideal for use in resource-constrained environments: it is safe, effective, and mass-produced locally in large quantities. In addition, CORBEVAX is simple to use and store. Therefore, it is hoped to be utilized in low- and middle-income nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where vaccine supply is poor. In addition, this vaccine is created with technology that has been used for decades around the world and won’t require the steep learning curve that new technologies like mRNA, adenovirus, and protein particle vaccines require.

CORBEVAX is created by microbial fermentation in yeast, which is comparable to the procedure used to make the hepatitis B vaccine produced and utilized in many underdeveloped nations. The COVID vaccination technology has already been licensed by Texas Children’s CVD and Baylor to companies in Indonesia and Bangladesh, and African countries like Botswana.

CORBEVAX has an excellent safety profile, similar to the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.  CORBEVAX generated only moderate side events in a phase 3 trial in India, making it one of the safest COVID-19 vaccines on the market.

India is also doing pediatric clinical studies. CORBEVAX may even be more acceptable to parents than vaccines developed with modern technologies. If there was ever a COVID vaccine that might overcome vaccine apprehension and refusal, this could be it.

Source: Texas Children’s Hospital