FREE TO THE WORLD, THE NEW COVID19 VACCINE COULD HELP IMMUNIZE LOW- INCOME COUNTRIES.

Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada: In the rush to vaccinate the world against COVID-19, researchers in Texas have made a breakthrough.


They’ve developed a vaccine called CORBEVAX that can be manufactured cheaply and quickly in low-income countries, without the complications of licensing, patents, or limited supply.

“We want to help the world,” says Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, who worked to develop the vaccine. “We think it’s a gamechanger.”

The vaccination rate in Canada, nearing 80 per cent, is in stark contrast with a nation like Nigeria, where only 2.2 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

CORBEVAX could help close the gap.

Unlike the mRNA vaccines used in high-income nations, CORBEVAX is produced the same way as more traditional immunizations. The shot uses synthetic virus proteins to induce an immune response, without causing disease — the same way the hepatitis B vaccine works.


In India, where CORBEVAX is already authorized for use, local pharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited is now preparing to manufacture 1.2 billion doses per year.