Covid vaccine: federal government signs three more contracts
The Swiss government has signed a contract with the German pharmaceutical company Curevac and the Swedish government to supply five million vaccine doses. This will give the Swiss population access to two additional Covid 19 vaccines - provided the clinical trial phases and Swissmedic approval are successful. At the same time, the federal government has secured an additional six million vaccine doses from Moderna.
As vaccine development and availability continue to pose further uncertainties, the federal government signed another contract with the German pharmaceutical company Curevac and the Swedish government for the supply of five million vaccine doses. Further, the federal government signed a preliminary contract with Novavax for six million vaccine doses.
Functionality of Curevac and Novavax
Like Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna, Curevac relies on the novel mRNA technology: mRNA is a kind of messenger molecule that carries the building instructions for the production of proteins. This transmits the necessary information to the body's cells on how to produce a viral protein. Once the protein is produced in the body, the immune system recognizes it as foreign to the body and thus produces antibodies against the virus. Novavax's vaccine contains the "spike protein" of the Covid 19 virus. The immune system produces antibodies against the protein, thus preparing the body for infection with the Covid-19 virus.
Additional cans from Moderna
Assuming the approval is successful and Swissmedic grants approval, Curevac is expected to begin shipping to Switzerland in the second quarter of 2021. For the non-EU countries Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, Sweden will order the doses and resell them to the respective countries at no profit, according to the federal government.
Like Curevac, Novavax's vaccine is currently in the final testing phase. Once the final contract is signed with Novavax, the protein-based vaccine can be delivered to Switzerland from Q2 2021.
In addition, the federal government has concluded a further contract with Moderna for an additional six million vaccine doses. This brings the agreed supply volume to 13.5 million doses. The Moderna vaccine has already been approved by Swissmedic and has an efficacy of 95 percent.
Source: The Confederation
