Worldwide, six vaccines were in Phase III.
– Moderna, U.S., launched July 27. An RNA approach that produces viral proteins. $1 billion U.S. funding.
– BioNTech, German company collaborating with Pfizer (New York), and Chinese drug maker Fosun Pharma. An mRNA vaccine designed to produce antibodies and immune cells that respond to the virus. $1.9 billion U.S. contract for 100 million doses by December 2020 with an option for 500 million more. On approval, Pfizer expects to make more than 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.
– AstraZeneca and University of Oxford (British-Swedish). Tested on chimpanzees, the vaccine safely raises antibodies and immune defenses. It is possible that emergency doses could be delivered by October 2020.
– Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, Co., Ltd, China state-owned company. Found that inactivated virus can provoke immune response. Tested in United Arab Emirates. The company says the vaccine could be ready by the end of the year.
– Sinovac Biotech, privately owned Chinese company. Inactivated virus vaccine called CoronaVac. The company expects to be able to make 100 million doses annually.
– Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Australia. Uses the bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine, developed in the 1900s as protection against tuberculosis.