Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) is now the second company to release positive preliminary results from a Phase 3 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate — and it appears to be more good news. Last week, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) announced that early data suggested its BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine was more than 90% effective at reducing symptomatic COVID-19 infections. Today,…
Trump accuses FDA of delaying Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine announcement
In the aftermath of Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine promises to be 90% effective, President Trump is faulting the FDA for its role allegedly delaying the announcement until after Election Day. The President has pointed to the episode as evidence for a ‘medical deep state,” according to the Washington Post. Already, HHS…
Report: Russia hits pause on Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccine trial
Russia is temporarily tapping the brakes on its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial as demand for its Sputnik-V vaccine surges, according to several clinical officials quoted by Reuters. Crocus Medical, a company helping administer the vaccine, denies there is a shortage of the vaccine. “Trials are ongoing, and there is sufficient vaccine supply,” said Alexey Butylin,…
Pfizer’s silence on COVID-19 vaccine trial data fuels speculation
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has revealed that it has not yet performed an interim analysis for its vaccine candidate. The news — out Oct. 27 — comes after the company’s CEO Albert Bourla had repeatedly hinted that such data would be available by October. An independent data monitoring committee has a threshold for when to perform such…
Cost of COVID-19 vaccine nationalism could hit $1.2 trillion
Rand Europe, WHO and the president of Germany recently warned against vaccine nationalism. The cost of nationalistic tendencies to hoard vaccines and prioritize vaccines for their citizenry could lead to a global reduction in gross domestic product of $1.2 trillion, according to the nonprofit think tank Rand Europe. By contrast, the global economic penalty of…
AstraZeneca: Vaccine candidate prompts immune response in seniors
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) announced today that its potential COVID-19 vaccine prompts an immune response in older and younger adults. The vaccine candidate is currently in a Phase 3 trial. In September, the company had put its vaccine trial on hold after a U.K. participant suffered neurological symptoms. But the AZD1222 vaccine candidate appears to be safe based on…
5 things you need to know about FDA and COVID-19 vaccines
There was no clear bombshell in the first meeting of an FDA advisory committee dedicated to COVID-19 vaccines. There were, however, several conclusions. Known as the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBAC), the meeting yesterday provided an overview of the steps medical and government authorities are taking to approve COVID-19 vaccines. Here are…
Why Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trial hit a snag
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial has hit a roadblock. Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) learned that contractors it had hired failed to recruit sufficient numbers of minorities for the 30,000-person study, according to a Reuters report. The lack of Black, Latinos and Native American patients led the company to tap academic researchers with ties to diverse communities. Moderna didn’t…
Small study yields ‘really good news’ for COVID-19 vaccine odds
Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have documented a robust antiviral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in a group of 20 adults who had recovered from COVID-19. Their work, published in today’s online edition of Cell, show that the body’s immune system is able to recognize SARS-CoV-2 in many ways, dispelling fears that the…
Desperate quest for herpes cure launched ‘rogue’ trial
As 20 Americans and Brits flew to a Caribbean island for a controversial herpes vaccine trial, many of them knew there were risks. The lead U.S. researcher, William Halford, openly acknowledged he was flouting Food and Drug Administration regulations in the consent forms they signed. He would be injecting them with a live, though weakened,…