Most of the COVID-19 vaccines are made of mRNA, a set of instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called a spike protein. The protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. These instructions teach the immune system how to make antibodies (protective proteins) against COVID-19 that can prevent illness. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html.
Comirnaty (Pfizer) ingredients:
Active Ingredient
- nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2
Lipids
- (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis (ALC-3015)
- (2- hexyldecanoate),2-[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide (ALC-0159)
- 1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine (DPSC)
- cholesterol
Salts
- potassium chloride
- monobasic potassium phosphate
- sodium chloride
- basic sodium phosphate dihydrate
Other
- sucrose
Moderna ingredients:
Active ingredient
- mRNA (Nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2
Lipids
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 2000 dimyristoyl glycerol (DMG)
- 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine
- Cholesterol
- SM-102 (Proprietary to Moderna)
Salts
- Thromethamine
- Thomethamine hydrocholoride
- Acetic acid
- Sodium Acetate
Other
- Sucrose
Novavax ingredients:
Protein
- SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein
Lipids
- Cholesterol
- Phosphatidylcholine
Adjuvant
- Fraction-A and Fraction-C of Quillaja saponaria Molina extract
Salts, sugar and acid
- Disodium hydrogen phosphate heptahydrate
- Disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate
- Polysorbate-80
- Potassium chloride (common food salt)
- Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (common food salt)
- Sodium chloride (basic table salt)
- Sodium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate
- Sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid
- Water
Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) ingredients:
The vaccine includes the following ingredients: recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, citric acid monohydrate, trisodium citrate dihydrate, ethanol, 2 hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HBCD,) polysorbate-80, and sodium chloride.