HOME ABOUT REPORTS CONTACT HELP WANTED
We are concerned that there has been little government attention to CORBEVAX—a Covid-19 vaccine that seems to be effective, safe, can be made with low-cost already existing technology in the third world, has no patent, no strings attached, and is free for public use.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has given $1.6 billion to the Bill Gates backed company, Novavax, for their Covid-19 vaccine, even though the company has never previously brought a vaccine to market. While the company struggled to get their vaccine manufactured and distributed, other companies have already gotten vaccines distributed around the globe. The company has consistently run into production problems. The methods it used to test the purity of the vaccine have fallen short of regulators’ standards and the company has not been able to prove that it can produce a shot that is consistently up to snuff, according to multiple people familiar with Novavax’s difficulties. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive company conversations. (Politico)
What have been the results of the current global vaccination efforts? So far the sharing of the vaccine with the global south has been slow. While around 55% of people living in high-income countries have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, less than 1% of people living in low-income countries have been fully vaccinated.
The central government of India has already ordered 300 million doses of CORBEVAX. And BioE, the company manufacturing the vaccine, plans to produce 100 million or more doses per month starting in February 2022. Approximately 150 million doses have already been produced and are ready to roll out. In addition to what the company is supplying to India, BioE plans to deliver more than one billion additional doses to other countries.
CORBEVAX is a vaccine developed by the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (Texas Children’s CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine. It is ready to be deployed.
CORBEVAX is the first COVID vaccine designed specifically for global health. According to Scientific American, "It is a milestone for global vaccine equity, something we believe will overcome vaccine hesitancy, and servesas a blueprint for how to develop a potent vaccine for pandemic use in the absence of substantial public funding."
It is also safe according to Scientific American, which states that trials have shown that CORBEVAX is potentially one of the safest Covid-19 vaccines in use today.
Remarkably, Texas Children’s CVD has accomplished the development of their vaccine with no major federal or G7 support, instead relying almost exclusively on private philanthropy based in Texas, New York and elsewhere.
Imagine what they could do with federal funding? Therefore, we believe CORBEVAX is a resource that the U.S. government and G7 nations may want to look into.
RELATED EARTH FUTURE ACTION REPORTS
Global Vaccination Plan (Earth Future Action)
Vaccines for the Rich. Death for the Poor (Earth Future Action)
NOVAVAX
After a Rocky Start, Novavax Vaccine Could Be Here by Summer (The New York Times, 2-3-21)
‘They rushed the process’: Vaccine maker’s woes hamper global inoculation campaign (Politico, 10-19-21)
CORBEVAX
A COVID Vaccine for All (Scientific American, 12-30-21)
The authors of this article are Peter J. Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi.
Peter J. Hotez is a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he co-heads the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development.
Maria Elena Bottazzi is co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.
She is also a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and associate dean of its National School of Tropical Medicine.