INTERVIEW
A race against the clock. In the search for a vaccine against the coronavirus, 140 programs have been launched around the world, of which ten are in clinical phase. The laboratories thus seem to have been very reactive, whereas the genome of the virus could not have been sequenced until four months ago. Members of the Research and Expertise Analysis Committee (Care) and former Assistant Director-General at WHO, Marie-Paule Kieny estimated, on Saturday on Europe 1, that these numerous experiments carried out around the world should allow accelerate the discovery of a vaccine.
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Procedures usually several years long
"This is really new!" Repeats Marie-Paule Kieny several times. The laboratories that have embarked on the vaccine race are today extremely numerous. According to the virologist, this promptness of the researchers is an asset in the face of the urgent health situation. Indeed, the discovery and circulation of a vaccine, usually several years long, could occur much faster.
"We pushed all the vaccination concepts at the same time, as quickly as possible!" All the hypotheses are therefore explored, taking into account in particular knowledge of the other coronaviruses which are the Sras or the Seas. The Institut Pasteur found a candidate for the measles vaccine when the American Moderna laboratory is already testing its mRNA-1273 vaccine on humans.
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Production units already in place
The research thus carried out in parallel should make it possible to explore all avenues. The procedures and stages of investigating the files have also been greatly shortened. Observation during clinical trials, which is generally at least one year long, is sometimes reduced to three months. Marie-Paule Kieny also explains that most of these studies are conducted "at risk", that is to say that they admit the potential for failure. "We have to push them until we see that it is not effective."
The virologist concedes that the lack of perspective could introduce some doubts, especially about the long-term effectiveness of the vaccine. But this massive investment in research is one of the keys to putting this vaccine into circulation as quickly as possible. In the same way, the companies have already started to set up production units for hypothetical vaccines, without being sure that they will actually see the light of day.