Paris (AFP)

Authorized, in the process of being, under review: an update on Covid-19 vaccines available around the world.

- They are already there

Pfizer / BioNTech: Sold under the trade name Comirnaty, this vaccine is authorized in the European Union, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and many other countries.

Developed by the American giant Pfizer and the German laboratory BioNTech, it is based on messenger RNA technology and has a very high efficiency rate (95%).

Moderna: another messenger RNA vaccine, it has characteristics very similar to the previous one, with 94.1% effectiveness.

This American vaccine is authorized in the EU, North America, the United Kingdom (where it is however not yet available) and in a few other countries, such as Israel or Singapore.

AstraZeneca / Oxford: designed by the English University of Oxford and the Anglo-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca, this vaccine uses a different technology, called "viral vector".

It is licensed in the EU, UK and some other less wealthy countries like India (where it is sold under the name Covishield).

It is 60% effective according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), while being cheaper and easier to store than the previous two.

But it has been the subject of several criticisms, on the lack of data concerning its effectiveness in the elderly or its possible more important side effects.

Sputnik V: developed by Russia, this viral vector vaccine is 91.6% effective.

In addition to Russia, it is approved in around fifteen countries (Belarus, Armenia, Venezuela, Iran, South Korea, Argentina or Algeria).

In the EU, if a "request for scientific advice" has been submitted to the EMA, Sputnik V is not yet the subject of a continuous review procedure of its data, a step prior to a formal request for authorization.

Hungary, however, authorized it unilaterally.

Sinopharm: the two vaccines developed by the Chinese laboratory, which use the classic inactivated virus technique, are present in China and in several other countries around the world, including the United Arab Emirates, Hungary (European exception), Peru, Cambodia or Zimbabwe.

Its designers claim a 79% efficiency, but the data on which they are based has not been published.

Sinovac: another Chinese vaccine based on the inactivated virus technique, it is authorized in China, Chile, Brazil and Turkey.

Other countries have pre-ordered doses of this vaccine called CoronaVac, such as Ukraine or Uruguay.

Large-scale testing in Brazil has shown an overall efficacy rate of around 50% (and 80% against more severe forms), according to Sinovac, but again, the data has not been published.

Bharat Biotech: This Indian vaccine with inactivated virus is used in India, as is Covishield.

CanSino: This Chinese virus-vector vaccine was authorized last week by Mexico, but has not yet been administered there.

- They arrive

Johnson & Johnson: the American group has filed for authorization in the European Union and in the United States for this viral vector vaccine manufactured by its subsidiary Janssen-Cilag.

South Africa announced on February 10 that it ultimately preferred it to that of AstraZeneca, deemed not effective enough against the South African variant of the coronavirus.

Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is 66% effective overall and 85% effective against severe forms, according to the manufacturer.

Unlike the others, it only requires one injection, not two.

Novavax: This American vaccine is under continuous review by the EMA, which paves the way for an upcoming application for authorization in the EU.

It is a "subunit" vaccine, based on proteins that trigger an immune response, without viruses.

Its designers claim that it is 89.3% effective.

CureVac: This German vaccine also entered the EMA's continuous review procedure on Friday.

It is a messenger RNA vaccine.

- The next

In total, including all those who are already authorized and in the process of being authorized, 69 vaccines against Covid-19 are the subject of clinical trials on humans, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) .

In addition, 181 other vaccines are in preclinical development and have not yet been tested in humans.

© 2021 AFP