Germany's CureVac Faces Delay On Covid Vaccine

Frankfurt, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jun, 2021 ) :A coronavirus vaccine being developed by Germany's CureVac is facing delays as its late-stage trial is slowed by the wait for enough participants to catch Covid, officials said Friday.

CureVac initially expected to seek European approval for its jab in the second quarter, with Germany pencilling in 1.4 million doses by end-June.

But Health Minister Jens Spahn told his regional counterparts the regulatory authorisation is now not expected to come before August, Baden-Wuerttemberg's health minister Manfred Lucha told AFP, confirming earlier reports.

Lucha, whose state is home to CureVac's Tuebingen headquarters, told local media there were "complications" with the trial.

The German government, which has promised to offer all adults a jab by late September, is no longer counting on CureVac to play a role in the current inoculation drive, according to the Mannheimer Morgen daily.

The German health ministry declined to comment further, but said once the vaccine is greenlit "we will include CureVac in the campaign".

Like the highly effective vaccines developed by faster rivals BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, CureVac's shot is based on novel mRNA technology.

The German firm, founded in 2000 by mRNA pioneer Ingmar Hoerr, announced in interim results late May that independent analysis "found no safety concerns" with its vaccine.

But efficacy results have yet to be published.