Tracking the COVID-19 vaccines: The global landscape

Abstract

COVID-19, a respiratory infectious disease, occurs due to Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Millions of individuals around the world have been impacted by the illness, which has gravely threatened human health. The development and active involvement of varied vaccines against the COVID-19 have played a great and relieving role in controlling the life-threatening disease. Both the conventional and advanced vaccine platforms are available now to develop vaccines against COVID-19. Therefore, the present systematic review focuses on the global landscape of the COVID-19 vaccines and their current status. Among COVID-19 vaccines, virus like particles (VLPs), subunit vaccines, DNA, RNA-based vaccines, viral vector-based vaccines, inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines are the major contenders and are currently in various phase of clinical trials. Protein subunit, RNA-based and non-replicating viral vector-based platforms have been used majorly. Nevertheless, inactivated virus vaccine has been utilized clinically around the world. The clinical trials revealed that most of the vaccines have local or systemic effects after vaccination and varied efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. However, further studies are necessary to refine the technology to minimize adverse effects and improve the safety and efficacy. Abbreviations COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019; SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; VLPs: Virus like particles; WHO: World Health Organization; E: Envelope; M: Membrane; S: Spike; N: Nucleocapsid; PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; FDA: Food and Drug Administration; LNP: lipid-nanoparticle; AZD1222: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19; BNT162b2: Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine; mRNA-1273: Moderna vaccine; Ad26.COV2.S: Johnson and Johnson – Janssen’s vaccine; Gam-COVID-Vac: Sputnik Vaccine; NVX-CoV2373: Novavax vaccine with Matrix-M™ adjuvant.

COVID‐19 and cancer: Dichotomy of the menacing dilemma

“…In cancer patients, the COVID‐19 vaccine is both clinically and safely efficacious when given in accordance with existing prime‐boost ideas. To yet, neither in cancer patients nor in the general population, has a trustworthy correlation of protection been discovered that enables the clear derivation of therapeutic efficacy from immunological responses 19 . Less effective immune responses to vaccinations may be caused by patient‐associated factors including advanced age, hematological malignancy, and/or treatment‐associated factors such B cell depletion.…”

“…Vaccines such as Ad26. COV2.S, Pfizer/BioNTech, COVISHIELD, Covovax, Sputnik V, and Moderna have been authorized by the WHO for immunization against COVID‐19 19–22 . However, the ongoing risks posed by emergence of newer and rapidly evolving variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Omicron to name a few) have raised concerns against the management practices and demand timely research to combat the situation 23–28 …”

Clinical and laboratory considerations: Determining an antibody-based composite correlate of risk for reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 or severe COVID-19

“…COVID-19 vaccines include recombinant subunit, nucleic acid, viral vector and whole virus vaccines, amongst others, and some vaccines have been adapted for Omicron variants (53). The use of different vaccines, combinations, the number of boosters received, the occurrence of natural infection, and combinations thereof, trigger the immune system to varying degrees in depth, breadth or duration of response (21, [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66].…”

Discovery of CMX990: A Potent SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease Inhibitor Bearing a Novel Warhead

“…With ∼770 million confirmed cases and ∼7 million deaths worldwide to date, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a resounding impact around the globe. 1 While the advent of prophylactic vaccines has helped overcome pandemic status, 2 many health hurdles still remain for those who contract the disease and/or are not vaccinated due to personal, socioeconomic, geographic, or other adverse circumstances. On account of this, and to prepare for future pandemics, many drug discovery programs were pursued around the world for post-infection treatment options.…”