Could the oral polio vaccine be a solution for Covid-19?
Could the oral polio vaccine be a solution for Covid-19?
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It's too early to know. Successful discovery and safe delivery of a vaccine are very challenging. In the pandemic context we are in, many scientists are turning to existing drugs and vaccines to try and see if they can repurpose them to tackle COVID-19, especially since their safety profiles, side effects, and effectiveness are already known. Similarly, the safety track record of the oral polio vaccine is also known, and scientists are now studying its efficacy against COVID-19. The hypothesis these scientists have suggested is that the oral polio vaccine – a weakened version of the live polio virus – is assumed to trigger a general immune response in the body - production of antibodies against a foreign organism to be protected in the future if infected again with the same organism. When the body's immune system engages this response to fight off the unknown virus, scientists believe the body will develop antibodies specific to the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19. However these are early studies occurring in animal models only at this stage and with no results yet. Moreover, there is no consensus yet among scientists as to whether choosing the oral polio vaccine as a candidate was a good idea in the first place. Some note that there are risks in introducing the oral polio vaccine in some populations which is why in most of the world, doctors have phased out the oral formulation in favor of the inactivated polio vaccine, which is more widely used today.
It's too early to know. Successful discovery and safe delivery of a vaccine are very challenging. In the pandemic context we are in, many scientists are turning to existing drugs and vaccines to try and see if they can repurpose them to tackle COVID-19, especially since their safety profiles, side effects, and effectiveness are already known. Similarly, the safety track record of the oral polio vaccine is also known, and scientists are now studying its efficacy against COVID-19. The hypothesis these scientists have suggested is that the oral polio vaccine – a weakened version of the live polio virus – is assumed to trigger a general immune response in the body - production of antibodies against a foreign organism to be protected in the future if infected again with the same organism. When the body's immune system engages this response to fight off the unknown virus, scientists believe the body will develop antibodies specific to the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19. However these are early studies occurring in animal models only at this stage and with no results yet. Moreover, there is no consensus yet among scientists as to whether choosing the oral polio vaccine as a candidate was a good idea in the first place. Some note that there are risks in introducing the oral polio vaccine in some populations which is why in most of the world, doctors have phased out the oral formulation in favor of the inactivated polio vaccine, which is more widely used today.
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What our experts say
It's too early to know. Successful discovery and safe delivery of a vaccine are very challenging. In the pandemic context we are in, many scientists are turning to existing drugs and vaccines to try and see if they can repurpose them to tackle COVID-19, especially since their safety profiles, side effects, and effectiveness are already known. Similarly, the safety track record of the oral polio vaccine is also known, and scientists are now studying its efficacy against COVID-19. The hypothesis these scientists have suggested is that the oral polio vaccine – a weakened version of the live polio virus – is assumed to trigger a general immune response in the body - production of antibodies against a foreign organism to be protected in the future if infected again with the same organism. When the body's immune system engages this response to fight off the unknown virus, scientists believe the body will develop antibodies specific to the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19. However these are early studies occurring in animal models only at this stage and with no results yet. Moreover, there is no consensus yet among scientists as to whether choosing the oral polio vaccine as a candidate was a good idea in the first place. Some note that there are risks in introducing the oral polio vaccine in some populations which is why in most of the world, doctors have phased out the oral formulation in favor of the inactivated polio vaccine, which is more widely used today.
It's too early to know. Successful discovery and safe delivery of a vaccine are very challenging. In the pandemic context we are in, many scientists are turning to existing drugs and vaccines to try and see if they can repurpose them to tackle COVID-19, especially since their safety profiles, side effects, and effectiveness are already known. Similarly, the safety track record of the oral polio vaccine is also known, and scientists are now studying its efficacy against COVID-19. The hypothesis these scientists have suggested is that the oral polio vaccine – a weakened version of the live polio virus – is assumed to trigger a general immune response in the body - production of antibodies against a foreign organism to be protected in the future if infected again with the same organism. When the body's immune system engages this response to fight off the unknown virus, scientists believe the body will develop antibodies specific to the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19. However these are early studies occurring in animal models only at this stage and with no results yet. Moreover, there is no consensus yet among scientists as to whether choosing the oral polio vaccine as a candidate was a good idea in the first place. Some note that there are risks in introducing the oral polio vaccine in some populations which is why in most of the world, doctors have phased out the oral formulation in favor of the inactivated polio vaccine, which is more widely used today.
Context and background
Drug repurposing is a safe, and often successful, pathway to speed up drug discovery and development compared with starting from scratch. Drug repurposing uses drugs that have either received regulatory approval, have failed in clinical trials, or are in later stages of clinical trials, in order to leverage the detailed information collected on safety, toxicity, formulation, manufacturing plans, etc. There are many existing drugs that are undergoing testing for being repurposed for COVID-19 treatment, as well as many existing vaccines being studied for repurpose for COVID-19 prevention. For instance, biopharmaceutical company Merck is working on development of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine based on a measles vaccine. Another group is studying the effectiveness of Tuberculosis vaccine Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in protecting healthcare workers from COVID-19; and Company Emergent BioSolutions is in pre-clinical development of studying anti-SARS antibodies for COVID-19 prevention. The oral polio vaccine (OPV) is another option being tested based on indicators from past studies that OPV has helpful, general triggers for the immune system. According to the Polio Eradication Initiative, “A study is currently being discussed with various partners and vaccine manufacturers, including the US FDA, the outcomes of which will be carefully assessed to determine potential use in the context of the spread of SARS-CoV2 until the time when specific vaccines and antiviral therapies are ready.”
Drug repurposing is a safe, and often successful, pathway to speed up drug discovery and development compared with starting from scratch. Drug repurposing uses drugs that have either received regulatory approval, have failed in clinical trials, or are in later stages of clinical trials, in order to leverage the detailed information collected on safety, toxicity, formulation, manufacturing plans, etc. There are many existing drugs that are undergoing testing for being repurposed for COVID-19 treatment, as well as many existing vaccines being studied for repurpose for COVID-19 prevention. For instance, biopharmaceutical company Merck is working on development of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine based on a measles vaccine. Another group is studying the effectiveness of Tuberculosis vaccine Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in protecting healthcare workers from COVID-19; and Company Emergent BioSolutions is in pre-clinical development of studying anti-SARS antibodies for COVID-19 prevention. The oral polio vaccine (OPV) is another option being tested based on indicators from past studies that OPV has helpful, general triggers for the immune system. According to the Polio Eradication Initiative, “A study is currently being discussed with various partners and vaccine manufacturers, including the US FDA, the outcomes of which will be carefully assessed to determine potential use in the context of the spread of SARS-CoV2 until the time when specific vaccines and antiviral therapies are ready.”
Resources
- Dr. Lipi Roy - Could the Polio Vaccine Curb the Coronavirus Pandemic (Forbes)
- The use of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to prevent SARS-CoV2 (Polio Eradication Initiative)
- Dr. Lipi Roy - Could the Polio Vaccine Curb the Coronavirus Pandemic (Forbes)
- The use of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to prevent SARS-CoV2 (Polio Eradication Initiative)
