• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
HealthCoronavirus

Why Covaxx thinks it has a COVID-19 vaccine game changer on its hands

By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 27, 2020, 2:24 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

We often take vaccines for granted: “Yes, of course I need to get my shots, and those shots will be available.”

But vaccine development isn’t magic. It’s science and—especially during a pandemic—logistics. The coronavirus crisis has led to a veritable gold rush (and what some may call an arms race) in the biopharmaceutical industry. One company thinks it has a major advantage in that particular race: manufacturing.

The firm is Covaxx, a spinout of companies within the biotech firms United Biomedical and United Neuroscience (recently re-dubbed as Vaxxinity). Covaxx tells Fortune that its specific technology can give it a leg up over the dozens of larger companies ranging from Johnson & Johnson to AstraZeneca, as well as fellow upstarts like Moderna, in the necessary aspect of delivering a vaccine to people on time.

Why does Covaxx think it’s special? Its reasoning combines cool science, geopolitics, and the assistance of professionals like Mei Mei Hu—a luminary who is trying to engineer an Alzheimer’s vaccine and who also happens to be a McKinsey consultant with a Harvard Law degree and a rare female executive in an industry not known for its diversity.

Hu has help from the likes of Covaxx cofounder and vice chairman Peter Diamandis, known better for his work with the X Prize Foundation and Singularity University, who was excited by the prospect of using United Biomedical’s platforms to treat infectious diseases. “It was the idea of using vaccines to treat chronic diseases. Can you activate the immune system to bring your body back to a state of normalcy?” he tells Fortune, adding that the company’s work on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s captured his attention.

The science, still in early stages, is fascinating. Diamandis compares it to a cop walking the beat, but for a biological threat—that is, it requires a more targeted approach than searching for one criminal. Viruses attack multiple sites within our bodies, he says, and we must address all of them if we seek true protection.

“If it’s a police force, how many police are there on a city block?” Diamandis asks, referring to the various regions of the coronavirus that can be targeted. “And then: How effective are those police at actually neutralizing the criminals?”

But all the experimental science in the world means nothing if patients can’t ultimately get their hands on a proven COVID vaccine. That’s where Hu thinks that Covaxx has an advantage. Though the company is independent, it can rely on the manufacturing capacity that United Biomedical can provide around the globe.

“I think our vaccine candidate is one of the best. We have a platform that we know how to scale,” she tells Fortune. “You have to actually be able to manufacture it. Doubling a recipe doesn’t always work, so it’s much easier to have a proven platform that you know how to scale.”

Hu points out that many of the coronavirus candidates in development have to be chilled with liquid nitrogen and can’t be kept in conventional freezers for more than a few days. “I don’t think people realize that,” she says. “Producing 10,000 doses is different from producing 1 million and very different from producing 100 million. We don’t naturally keep things like that in a freezer.” Covaxx’s technology, she says, would make distribution far easier.

The company says that it will enter human trials of its vaccine candidate within the next few weeks in Taiwan, which would potentially serve as a major manufacturing site in the future. It’s also aiming for early-stage trials in the U.S. with the University of Nebraska Medical Center by this fall.

“The interesting thing about Taiwan, is this is already a nationalist thing,” referring to the global vaccine arms race. “These are considerations we’ve never had to consider, but they’re ones we have to consider in COVID time.”

The goals are broad: 100 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the first quarter of 2021, according to Hu—and somewhere between 500 million to one billion by the end of next year.

About the Author
By Sy Mukherjee
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

Helix Plus Lead
Healthmattresses
The Best Early 4th of July Mattress Sales of 2026: Saatva, Helix, and More
By Christina SnyderJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
mg
CommentaryHealth
The ‘tech neck’ time bomb: why 43 million young Americans could cripple U.S. health care within a generation
By Michael GerlingJune 24, 2026
9 hours ago
UPS workers process boxes in a sorting facility.
North AmericaUPS
UPS is shelling out nearly $50 million on temperature-controlled facilities to meet the booming demand for GLP-1 deliveries
By Sasha RogelbergJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
dr
HealthCancer
The U.S. cut cancer deaths by 34% since 1991—but not in 458 rural counties
By Arthur Cosby and The ConversationJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Woman hides from the sun in front of Big Ben in London
EconomyEurope
‘London isn’t just calling—it’s cooking.’ Europe’s largest economies face over $600 billion in heat-driven losses by 2030
By Tristan BoveJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Doctor giving patient injection in volunteer clinic
HealthHealth
For the first time ever, no young women in England died of cervical cancer. In the U.S., RFK Jr.’s vaccine skepticism stalls HPV progress
By Catherina GioinoJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
13 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.