Pharmaceutical regulators in the US approved Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine last week and are now about to give Moderna the green light. Both have a similar structure, but also some differences.
COLD STORAGE
The main difference between the two vaccines is their cold storage. While Pfizer needs temperatures between -60 and -80 degrees Celsius, which required an expensive and complex distribution and storage system to be organized, Moderna only needs -20 degrees like a household freezer.
Outside of the super freezers that the Pfizer vaccine requires, the serum stays in the refrigerator for 5 days, while the Moderna lasts up to 30 days, making it much more logistically manageable, especially for developing countries.
DOSE
The two vaccines require two doses, but Moderna’s is 100 micrograms and should be given 28 days apart, while Pfizer is 30 micrograms, 21 days apart.
EFFECTIVENESS
Both vaccines have shown efficacy of nearly 95%, much higher than expected, but Moderna’s has shown its ability to prevent serious cases of COVID-19, according to data published by US regulators.
STRUCTURE
Both vaccines use messenger RNA, or mRNA, that is introduced into human cells to cause the body to make viral proteins that serve to make the antibodies it needs to defend itself.
However, each vaccine uses its own type of lipid coat to protect messenger RNA.
AGE
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US regulator, has licensed Pfizer’s vaccine for children 16 years and older; Moderna’s, however, is prepared for those over 18.
COMPANY
While Pfizer is one of the great pharmaceutical companies with a 170-year history, Moderna has been a biotech company with no product on the market for barely a decade since its inception.
Moderna, a start-up until recently, had never submitted a vaccine to the FDA before.
PUBLIC SUPPORT
Moderna has actively participated in the Donald Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed and has gained access to $ 2.5 billion in federal funds to purchase new materials, expand its facilities, and increase its workforce by 50%.
Pfizer, on the other hand, has not been part of this public operation, although it has signed a contract with the government to purchase 100 million doses.