Final Vaccine Analysis: CureVac Effectiveness Remains Low

The final analysis confirms the disappointing interim result: the vaccine from the Tübingen-based company CureVac is only slightly effective against corona infection. It does not play a role in the government’s plans for 2022.

The disappointing study results for the Covid-19 vaccine from CureVac have also been confirmed after a final analysis. Accordingly, the vaccine showed an effectiveness of 48 percent against Covid disease of any severity and in all age groups, as the Tübingen biotech company announced.

In an interim analysis two weeks ago, it was 47 percent. This makes the vaccine significantly less effective overall than other vaccines. The data of the interim analysis had caused a significant decline in the stock market price and disappointment among politicians.

In the final evaluation, however, according to CureVac, a “significant protective effect” of the vaccine was observed in study participants between 18 and 60 years of age. However, they are less at risk of infection than older people. In this age group, an effectiveness of 53 percent against a disease of any severity and of 77 percent against moderate and severe disease was observed.

For study participants over 60 years of age, who represented nine percent of the cases examined, no statistically unambiguous determination of the effectiveness was possible.

Ministry of Health plans without CureVac

CureVac stated that it is in an ongoing exchange with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the continuation of the approval process for the vaccine. In the plans of the Federal Ministry of Health for 2022, the vaccine from CureVac is not planned according to information from the news agency Reuters and the “Handelsblatt” – nor is the vaccine from AstraZeneca.

Last year, the federal government invested 300 million euros in Curevac through the KfW development bank and, according to KfW, holds a share of 16 percent. Curevac has around 250 million euros available from a special funding program.