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-Top News COVID-19 World News

Pfizer, Moderna raise Covid-19 vaccine prices in EU


The supply contracts are being renewed as Europe is anxious to secure supplies for potential booster shots in the face of the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant…reports Asian Lite News.

US drug makers Pfizer and Moderna have increased the prices of their mRNA-based vaccines against Covid-19 for the European market, the media reported.

According to the new contracts, a Pfizer shot will now cost 19.50 euros against 15.50 euros previously, while a Moderna jab has been priced at 21.49 euros a dose, from about 19 euros in the first procurement deal, The Financial Times reported.

The supply contracts are being renewed as Europe is anxious to secure supplies for potential booster shots in the face of the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Further, the terms of the deals, struck this year for a total of up to 2.1 billion shots until 2023, were renegotiated after phase 3 trial data showed the two companies’ mRNA vaccines had higher efficacy rates than shots developed by Oxford/AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, the report said.

The companies had capitalised on their market power and deployed the “usual pharma rhetoric… Vaccines work so they increased the ‘value’,” the report quoted an official close to the negotiations official.

Riding on the success of its Covid vaccine, Pfizer, last week, raised its annual vaccine revenue to $33.5 billion in 2021, up from the previously projected $26 billion.

Prices for higher-income countries were “comparable”, with middle-income countries charged about half and lower-income countries paying cost, Chief executive Albert Bourla was quoted as saying.

Moderna is expected to announce the second quarter financial results this week. According to forecasts compiled by Airfinity, a life sciences consultancy, the sales of Pfizer’s Covid jab will hit 47.1 billion euros with Moderna’s reaching 25.2 billion euros, the FT reported.

On the other hand, sales of Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covid jab — the largest vaccine supplied to low-income countries — is expected to rise to 12.6 billion euros in 2022, it added.

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-Top News COVID-19 UAE News

UAE approves Moderna vaccine for emergency use

The decision was made following the completion of clinical trials and approval of the US Food and Drug Administration, reports Asian Lite News

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has approved the emergency registration of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The decision was made following the completion of clinical trials and a strict assessment conducted to approve the local emergency use of the vaccine, as well as the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Attracting and providing efficient vaccines is part of the UAE’s commitment to promoting the effective response to the pandemic, said Dr. Mohamed Salim Al-Olama, Under-Secretary of MoHAP, emphasising that such step is a crucial stage to enhance the prevention and accelerate the pace of approaching the recovery phase and community immunisation.

Al-Olama noted that the notable increase in COVID-19 vaccine shots that amounted to about 15 million doses reflects the fruitful efforts and outcomes of the national vaccination campaign, as well as the UAE’s distinctive march to counter the pandemic, reach the recovery phase, and cultivate the spirit of optimism in society.

Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Health Regulatory Sector, said the decision was taken after Moderna has submitted all the documents that fulfil the country’s procedures and regulations and conform to global standards for safety of the vaccine and its use. He added this enables local health authorities to import the vaccine after fulfilling shipping-related safety and efficacy standards.

A review of studies on vaccine safety was made based on the FDA approval, said Al Amiri, pointing out that the clinical trials have shown that the vaccine is safe and effective, and is triggering an immune response, in addition to producing COVID-19 antibodies.

ALSO READ: UAE starts issuing work permits for Golden Visa holders

“As the world continues to endure the drastic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel privileged to be taking part in the global effort to enhance the protection of humanity by making available this highly advanced vaccine in the United Arab Emirates. Magenta is fully committed to supporting the efforts of the UAE government in its monumental efforts to contain the pandemic,” said Dr. Zahid Al Sabti, Managing Director of Magenta Investments.

He added, “I am delighted to see Magenta entering this strategic partnership with Moderna and contributing to the ongoing battle against the pandemic.”

“We welcome the opportunity to work alongside Magenta for the distribution of our vaccine in the UAE,” said Corinne Le Goff, Chief Commercial Officer of Moderna. “Together with our partners, we hope to advance our goal to expand access to our vaccine globally, and support governments, as with the UAE, in protecting their citizens, residents, and visitors against the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, the ministry announced that 29,969 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered during the past 24 hours.

The total number of doses provided up to today stands at 15,534,207 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 157.06 doses per 100 people.

The vaccination drive is in line with the Ministry’s plan to provide the vaccine to all members of society and acquire immunity, which will help reduce the number of cases and control the spread of the virus.

ALSO READ: Saudi suspends travel to UAE, other 3 countries

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COVID-19 India News

Moderna not to send vaccines directly to Punjab

Garg said the reply was received from Moderna only in which the company refused to deal with the state government…reports Asian Lite News.

Citing its policy, Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna has refused to send the vaccine direct to Punjab, state nodal officer for vaccination Vikas Garg said on Sunday.

He said all vaccine manufacturers were approached for direct purchase of vaccines, including Sputnik V, Pfizer, Modern, and Johnson & Johnson.

Garg said the reply was received from Moderna only in which the company refused to deal with the state government.

The state was forced to stop vaccination for Phase 1 and 2 categories in the last three days because of non-availability.

All efforts would be made for procurement of vaccines to meet the acute shortage in the state, which had received less than 44 lakh vaccine doses from the Centre, the official said.

As per the Centre allocation for Phase 3 (18-44 age group), the state government has been able to buy only 4.2 lakh vaccine doses, including 66,000 received on Saturday.

A total of 3.65 lakh have already been used, leaving only 64,000 for use as of now, added Garg.

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-Top News Asia News COVID-19

Japan approves Moderna, AstraZeneca jabs

AstraZeneca vaccine

Japan is already using the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer…reports Asian Lite News

A Japanese government panel of experts approved two Covid-19 vaccines developed by US drug maker Moderna Inc. and the UK-based AstraZeneca Plc, with the Health Ministry expected to formaliae the approval of the use of the two jabs on Friday.

The expected approval, based on the expert panel’s assessment of Japan’s own clinical trials of the vaccines as well as those from overseas and the efficacy of the vaccines against Covid-19, will bring the number of jabs available in the country to three, reports Xinhua news agency.

Japan is already using the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

The country’s vaccine rollout has come under fire for lagging well behind the pace in other advanced countries, with Japan’s inoculation campaign the slowest among OECD nations and allowing its current fourth wave of infections to spread largely unabated, informed sources have said.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged to ramp up inoculations to 1 million shots a day and finish vaccinating the elderly by the end of July.

Japan began inoculating its elderly population of about 36 million in mid-April, but multiple municipalities have said they expect to miss the government’s end-of-July deadline, due to a lack of healthcare workers available to administer the shots.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato has said a team to be launched within his Cabinet Secretariat will come up with ways to provide certification and permit people who have been vaccinated to travel overseas.

ALSO READ: Japan concerned over Beijing’s moves in South China Sea

Categories
-Top News COVID-19

‘Moderna more troublesome than Pfizer’

The study, published in the journal JAMA, analysed reports collected via a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) programme called v-safe that tracks side effects in vaccine recipients….reports Asian Lite News

In a first, a new study has pointed out that those taking the Moderna vaccine have reported more side effects than people who get the Pfizer/BioNTech jabs.

The study, published in the journal JAMA, analysed reports collected via a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) programme called v-safe that tracks side effects in vaccine recipients.

A total of 3,643,918 people were enrolled in v-safe and completed at least one health survey within seven days following their first vaccine dose before February 21, and 1,920,872 v-safe participants reported receiving a second vaccine dose and completed at least one daily health survey within seven days following the second dose.

Nearly 70 per cent of those said they had some kind of injection site reaction, like pain or swelling, and half had generalised reaction like fatigue or chills.

“A greater percentage of participants who received the Moderna vaccine, compared with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, reported reactogenicity; this pattern was more pronounced after the second dose,” the researchers noted.

Also read:CDC reveals Pfizer, Moderna jabs effective in real world

Reactogenicity refers to a subset of reactions that occur soon after vaccination.

People who got a Moderna shot were more likely to have a side effect — 73 per cent had an injection site reaction, compared with 65 per cent of people who had a Pfizer/BioNTech dose.

Nearly 51 per cent of Moderna recipients had full-body symptoms, compared with 48 per cent of people who got the Pfizer/BioNTech shot.

The gap widened after the second dose.

Almost 82 per cent of people getting their second Moderna shot had injection site pain versus just under 69 per cent of people with Pfizer/BioNTech, reports The Verge.

“Overall, 74 per cent of people said they had general reactions after their Moderna shot, compared with 64 per cent of people getting Pfizer/BioNTech,” the report said on Tuesday.

Zulema Riquelme, a 46-year-old nursing technician, receives a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Metropolitan Hospital in Santiago, Chile

People over 65 were also less likely to have side effects than people under 65, regardless of which vaccine they received.

“Data from millions of v-safe participants indicate that injection site pain is common after both the first and second doses of either mRNA-based vaccine,” the study noted.

Systemic reactions, including fatigue, headache, myalgia, chills, fever, and joint pain, occurred in participants after the first dose, although they were more frequently reported after the second dose among both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine recipients.

Also read:CDC reveals Pfizer, Moderna jabs effective in real world