COVID-19 Vaccine and Drug Pipeline

by Maryam Tabatabai July 21, 2020 COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken a substantial toll on human life, not to mention our way of life. With over 14 million confirmed global cases and the death toll approaching 612,000, it is one of the most significant crises in recent history. In the United States (US), the country with the most cases and deaths, confirmed cases exceed 3.8 million and over 141,000 deaths have been reported as a result of this outbreak. As cases surge in certain parts of the country and the world, safe and effective vaccines and therapies are crucial to combatting this virus.

Given the torrent of information around the COVID-19, MRx Pipeline+ was developed to profile agents in development. Currently, there are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments or vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Over 200 agents are being evaluated to treat the virus. These include new emerging molecular entities as well as approved drugs that are already available to treat other conditions and now being repurposed for COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 24 vaccine candidates have entered human trials and over 140 vaccine hopefuls are in preclinical evaluation.

Scientists around the world are working tirelessly to discover a vaccine for COVID-19. Vaccines candidates go through many stages of study. The average time to develop a vaccine ranges from 10 to 15 years. The Ebola vaccine, newly-minted in December 2019, only took about 6 years to be approved, whereas an HIV/AIDS vaccine has still not come to market after about 40 years. Given this pandemic’s magnitude, extraordinary measures from public and private stakeholders have been introduced to accelerate vaccine development.

COVID-19 has presented us with many challenges. Mitigation measures and safe and effective vaccines and treatments are key to restoring a new normalcy. MRx Pipeline+ captures relevant evidence on select drug and vaccine contenders to keep everyone well-sourced on the COVID-19 pipeline.

Maryam Tabatabai

Dr. Maryam Tabatabai is the vice president of clinical information at Magellan Rx Management. She provides dynamic oversight and actively engages in drug and clinical information, evidence-based writing, development of clinical policies, as well as specialty and traditional drug pipeline forecasting. Dr. Tabatabai provides thought leadership and targeted insights for a wide range of audiences on the most impactful trends in the pharmacy and healthcare spheres. She leads drug recall efforts and steers the supply chain task force. She is a champion of raising awareness and providing trusted education to patients and other key stakeholders on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Dr. Tabatabai is the editor-in-chief for several Magellan Rx Management clinical publications, including MRx Pipeline, Clinical Alert, and Trend Alert blog. Since obtaining her Doctor of Pharmacy degree, she has gained meaningful pharmacy and clinical experience in the community, academic, hospital, and ambulatory care settings. Upon completing her pharmacy practice residency, she joined Magellan where she has been a central and respected clinical resource across the enterprise.

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