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☆ US scientists are leaving academia. That’s bad news for drug companies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Science postdocs perform the science,” Donna Ginther, an economist who studies the science labor market at the University of Kansas, told CNN. Biomedical companies take scientific contributions and, over time, aggregate them into a commercial product. Building on the discovery of mRNA in the 1960’s, the technology behind an mRNA vaccine for humans was in development for decades before the Covid-19 vaccine was first administered in 2020. By using that technology to develop their mRNA vaccines for Covid-19, pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna made a windfall in profits. “That’s how they make money is through commercialization: they have a product, which they then patent and sell.”Why are scientists leaving academic labs?

Persons: postdocs, Donna Ginther, “ They’re, Michael Ciaglo, ”, “, Nobel, Dr, Katalin Kariko, ” Ginther, they’re, Ginther Organizations: New, New York CNN —, National Institutes of Health, NIH, National Science Foundation, University of Kansas, CNN, ”, Pfizer, Moderna, Wired Magazine, NSF, World Health Organization Locations: New York, United States, Denver , Colorado, Europe, Alzheimer’s

☆ You can get Covid-19 and flu vaccines at the same time, but should you? What the science says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —With holiday season underway, you may be realizing that you forgot to get your Covid-19 and flu vaccines, and now you’ll be sitting across the table from your elderly relatives. Covid-19 vaccines were updated this year to target one strain of the coronavirus rather than two. “The flu vaccine might have been an adjuvant for the Covid vaccine,” she said. Moss led a recent study that compared neutralizing antibody responses of 53 Israeli health care workers who received their bivalent Covid-19 vaccines separately or with a flu shot. Blood samples from these health care workers were equally able to prevent Covid-19 and flu viruses from infecting cells, whether they got their vaccines together or separately.

Persons: Mandy Cohen, ” Cohen, “, ”, Susanna Barouch, Barouch, they’re, Stephen Moss, Moss, ” Moss, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, William Schaffner Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, US Food and Drug Administration, University of Michigan, Pfizer, CNN Health, Vanderbilt University Locations: Boston, Cambridge , Massachusetts, Netherlands

☆ The Covid Vaccine Windfall Turns for Pfizer and Moderna
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: The week’s best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady and Dan Henninger. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyThe U.S. was in a fit of Covid panic during Thanksgiving week two years ago. Share prices in Pfizer and Moderna surged. By month’s end, Pfizer’s stock-market value had surpassed $300 billion, up 50% from the start of the pandemic. In 2022 Pfizer became the first pharmaceutical company to book more than $100 billion in annual sales owing to government purchases of its vaccines and antiviral pill.

Persons: Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady, Dan Henninger, Mark Kelly The Organizations: Getty, Zuma, Pfizer, Moderna Locations: Mark Kelly The U.S

Moderna on Tuesday announced that its combination shot for flu and COVID-19 is the first candidate to make it to late-stage trial. It “offers greater convenience and has the potential to lead to increased compliance with vaccine recommendations,” it added. The shots won’t be available for this respiratory virus season, as Moderna said it is targeting regulatory approval for the shot in 2025. Moderna earlier this month announced positive data from its earlier studies of the combo shot, finding that it produced an immune response similar to or greater than licensed flu shots and Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 shot. “We are excited to move combination respiratory vaccines into Phase 3 development and look forward to partnering with public health officials to address the significant seasonal threat posed to people by these viruses.”

Persons: “, Moderna, bivalent, Stéphane Bancel Organizations: Moderna, Tuesday, Northern Hemisphere, Disease Control, ” Moderna Locations: Moderna

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Some people seeking the newest COVID-19 vaccine are running into high demand, insurance headaches and supply delays coast to coast. But some people have had to cancel appointments because their insurance hasn’t updated the billing codes to cover the vaccines. And in some places, there are no available nearby vaccines: A search in Juneau, Alaska, through the federal government’s website shows no available appointments within 100 miles. For others, the shots were covered by insurance without issue, but appointments were canceled by their pharmacy due to supply delays. Walgreens and CVS confirmed that delivery delays to some stores across the country had led to canceled appointments.

Persons: Cases, Alex Huseman, ” Huseman, Matt Blanchette, “, Pfizer spokespeople, Chris Ridley, Marwa Bakr, ” Bakr, Karen Ramos, ” Ramos, ”, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: MILWAUKEE, for Disease Control, Prevention, Alaska Department of Health, CVS, Walgreens, ” Moderna, Pfizer, Associated Press, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: Juneau , Alaska, Moderna, Temecula , California, Caribbean, San Diego, Temecula

☆ East Libya Strongman Keeps Tight Control Over Aid After Floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Ben Hubbard | More About Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days after a torrential downpour collapsed two aging dams and unleashed a rushing wall of water that swept parts of the Libyan city of Derna and thousands of its people into the sea, the military strongman who rules the area came for a quick visit. Khalifa Hifter, the 79-year-old renegade commander and longtime C.I.A. asset shook hands with soldiers, took a brief drive through Derna’s muddy streets and flew off in a helicopter. The disaster that struck Derna on Sept. 11 has drawn renewed international attention to Mr. Hifter and his so-called Libyan National Army, a military coalition that controls the eastern half of the divided North African nation with an iron fist. More than a week after the disaster, as rescue efforts shift to the long and costly work of caring for the displaced and helping the city recover, Mr. Hifter’s tight hold over eastern Libya has made it clear that he will be the overall arbiter of the aid operation in the oil-rich country.

Persons: Khalifa Hifter, Derna, Hifter, Hifter’s Organizations: Libyan National Army Locations: Libyan, Derna, Libya

Demonstrators vented their anger at officials, including the speaker of the eastern-based Libyan parliament, Aguila Saleh, outside the Sahaba Mosque. Protesters called for the removal of Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the eastern-based Libyan parliament. Hussam Ahmed/AFP/Getty ImagesA protester comforted their friend who lost his family members in the floods. Hichem Abu Chkiouat, a minister in the eastern Libyan government, said Gaithi had been suspended from his post. Derna, which lies some 300 kilometers (190 miles) east of Benghazi, falls under the control of Haftar and his eastern administration.

Persons: Aguila Saleh, Hussam Ahmed, Bensemra, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, Gaithi, ”, “, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Khalifa Haftar, Osama Hamad Organizations: CNN, Protesters, Getty, United Nations, Reuters, UN, of National Unity, GNU, Libyan National Army Locations: Libyan, Derna, Sahaba, ”, AFP, Benghazi, Tripoli, Libya

Derna, Libya CNN —Tarek Fahim was taking videos of the water filling behind the dam in the Derna valley in Libya late Saturday night. Almost all they find are dead bodies and more are believed to be under the heaps of crumbled cement. Volunteers in hazmat suits scan the sea for dead bodies in Derna. Sarah Sirgany/CNNAbdel Wahab Haroun, 21, says he retrieved 40 bodies from the sea on Sunday. Derna’s waterfront has become the main staging area for delivering dead bodies and transporting them for burial, in a process that has been kept to one location due to the health hazards of decomposing bodies.

Persons: Libya CNN — Tarek Fahim, Storm Daniel, ”, “, Talal Fartas, Derna, Sarah Sirgany, CNN Abdel Wahab Haroun, Haroun, Asma Awad, Ibrahim Hassan, ” Abdel, Wahab Organizations: Libya CNN, United Nations, UN, CNN, Vehicles, Local, Volunteers Locations: Derna, Libya, al, Libyan, Kofra

☆ Opinion | The Unimaginable Has Happened in Libya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Ethan Chorin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This week, the worst storm in recent memory pounded the Green Mountains in eastern Libya with rain, pushing two poorly maintained, half-century-old dams to their limit. Many people in Libya are calling what happened a tsunami, not a flood, to attempt to capture the physics and power of the devastation. For Libya it will be impossible, given the disaster zone’s sudden isolation, lack of equipment and depth of the country’s political dysfunction. But it’s the United States’ unique and tragic history in Libya, its technical expertise and depth of resources in the region, that create a moral obligation for America to step into this breach. The United States left most of the rebuilding to its European allies.

Persons: Libya’s, Muammar Gaddafi, Gaddafi’s Organizations: United Locations: Libya, Derna, Derna’s, Italy, United States, Benghazi, NATO

☆ ‘We knew ahead of time’: A decade of turmoil left Libya unprepared for natural disasters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Split between two rival administrations since 2014 and having failed to hold presidential elections, Libya faces an uphill battle when it comes to severe natural disasters. Planet Labs PBC/AP Planet Labs PBC/AP Satellite images show Derna, Libya on September 2, before the flooding, left, and after the dams collapsed, right. Responding to criticism regarding lack of preparedness by the LNA, Al-Mismari said that in such situations, 50% of the responsibility falls on authorities (LNA) and 50% falls on citizens. Turkey, which backs the Tripoli government, also said it is mobilizing personnel and supplies to assist authorities in eastern Libya. Tamer Ramadan, head of international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, told CNN Tuesday that the issue of rival governments in Libya does not affect their operation.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Khalifa Haftar –, ”, Anas El Gomati, Moammar Gadhafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Haftar, Jalel Harchaoui, ‘, ’, Harchaoui, Gomati, Osama Hamad, Osama Aly, ” Aly, “, Al Hurra, Jamal Alkomaty, ” Harchaoui, Ahmed al, Mismari, Al, ” Gomati, there’s, Ramadan, ” Ramadan Organizations: CNN, Planet Labs PBC, AP Planet Labs PBC, AP, ISIS, Libya –, Sadeq Institute, NATO, Libyan National Army, Royal United Services Institute, Emergency, Ambulance Service, Twitter, Analysts, United Nations, United, United Arab Emirates, Civil Protection Department, Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies Locations: Libya, Split, Libyan, Derna, Greece, Morocco, “, Tripoli, Benghazi, “ Libya, London, Cyrenaica, tatters, Derna’s, Al, Italy, Egypt, Russia, United Arab, Algeria, Turkey

☆ Moderna, Pfizer say updated COVID shots generate strong response vs newer variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna said its shot generated an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against BA.2.86 compared with an untreated natural antibody response in clinical trials in humans. Pfizer said its updated vaccine with partner BioNTech (22UAy.DE) elicited a strong antibody response against BA.2.86 in a preclinical study in mice. Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and relative newcomer to the COVID vaccine market Novavax (NVAX.O) have created versions of their shots aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant, the dominant variant through most of 2023. Moderna shares were down 1.6% and Pfizer shares were off nearly 3% in afternoon trading. The Omicron offshoot carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the target of the updated shots.

Persons: Moderna, Jacqueline Miller, BioNTech, Cowen, Tyler Van Buren, Dado Ruvic, Patrick Wingrove, Michael Erman, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Pfizer, World Health Organization, WHO, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, ” Moderna, Moderna, REUTERS, CDC, Omicron, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Britain's Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, U.S, Britain, New York, New Jersey

☆ Moderna says updated COVID vaccine is effective against newer variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A vial and sryinge are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Moderna (MRNA.O) on Wednesday said clinical trial data showed its updated COVID-19 vaccine will likely be effective against the highly-mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of the coronavirus that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections. The Omicron offshoot carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023 and the target of the updated shots. Moderna said it had shared the new finding on its vaccine with regulators and submitted it for peer review publication. European regulators have since backed the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, with Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approving the vaccine on Tuesday, but have yet to make any announcements on Moderna’s updated vaccine.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jacqueline Miller, Moderna, COVID, BioNTech, Patrick Wingrove, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, World Health Organization, WHO, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, ” Moderna, CDC, Omicron, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Pfizer, Moderna, Britain's Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Reuters, Thomson Locations: The Massachusetts, Switzerland, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, U.S, Britain, New York

Hong Kong CNN —US drugmaker Moderna has signed a deal to make mRNA medicines in China as part of its first major investment in the country, despite escalating trade and political tension between Washington and Beijing. The company currently only markets its mRNA vaccines for Covid-19, but has a number of vaccines and therapeutics in its pipeline. Those focus on addressing infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases, according to the company. Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, which received emergency authorization from US regulators in 2020 and full approval in 2022, has not been approved in China. For most of the pandemic, China relied on more traditional platforms for its homegrown Covid-19 vaccines.

Persons: Yicai, Janet Yellen, Biden, Moderna’s, Johnson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Xinhua, CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, Pfizer Locations: Hong Kong, China, Washington, Beijing, The Cambridge , Massachusetts, Shanghai’s Minhang, Shijiazhuang

☆ CDC eases certain Covid-19 vaccine requirements for international travelers to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still requiring international visitors boarding flights to the United States to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but it’s easing vaccine requirements for those travelers. International travelers boarding flights to the United States will now be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after getting a single dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine any time after August 16, 2022, when bivalent formulations first became available. Previously, foreign travelers entering the United States were considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of a vaccine that required two primary doses, or two weeks after a vaccine that only required a single shot, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A number of older, monovalent vaccine regimens also qualify a foreign visitor as fully vaccinated. As part of the update, the older monovalent mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are no longer recommended in the United States, and updated vaccines are recommended for everyone age 6 months and older.

☆ Moderna Shows Progress Toward Cancer Vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A trial offers some of the strongest evidence yet that vaccines such as Moderna’s could benefit cancer patients. Moderna Inc.’s cancer vaccine helped prevent relapse for melanoma patients, results from a midstage trial showed, demonstrating progress in the pursuit of shots to ward off cancer by jump-starting the immune system. About 79% of high-risk melanoma patients who got Moderna’s personalized vaccine and Merck & Co.’s immunotherapy Keytruda were alive and cancer-free at 18 months, compared with about 62% of patients who received immunotherapy alone, researchers said Sunday. The 157-person trial offers some of the strongest evidence yet that such vaccines could benefit cancer patients.

☆ Moderna to Price Its Covid-19 Vaccine at $130 a Dose
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Peter Loftus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The list price of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine is much higher than what the U.S. government has been paying. Moderna Inc. will price its Covid-19 vaccine at about $130 per dose when it shifts to commercial distribution of the shots later this year, much higher than what the federal government has paid. The plans could add to criticism of the company from lawmakers who are scheduled to explore the cost of the shots at a hearing Wednesday.

☆ Bernie Sanders Holds a Moderna Show Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

No good treatment goes unpunished for pharmaceutical companies these days, and Bernie Sanders will offer another example on Wednesday when he holds a political show trial of Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel . His offense? Cooperating with the government to produce life-saving Covid vaccines. The subject of the Vermont Senator’s hearing is Moderna’s plan to quadruple the price of its Covid vaccine to $110 to $130 per dose when U.S. government purchases stop. Pfizer has said it will charge a similar price after vaccines move to the commercial market, which is expected later this year.

☆ Moderna plans 400% increase in price of Covid vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailModerna plans 400% increase in price of Covid vaccinePublic Citizen Access to Medicines Director Peter Maybarduk and Northwestern healthcare economist Craig Garthwaite joins CNBC’s Brian Sullivan and ‘Last Call’ to discuss the debate over Moderna’s decision to raise the price of its Covid vaccine.

☆ Moderna expects to price its COVID vaccine at about $130 in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierMarch 20 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) expects to price its COVID-19 vaccine at around $130 per dose in the U.S. going forward as purchases move to the private sector from the government, the company’s president Stephen Hoge said in an interview on Monday. Hoge said the government's Medicare health plan for seniors pays $70 per dose for the seasonal influenza vaccine. Sanders, chair of the Senate’s powerful Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has said Moderna should not raise the price of its vaccine because of the government funding it received. He plans to question Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel on the price increase at the hearing on Wednesday. Moderna in February forecast significantly declining 2023 COVID-19 vaccine sales, which reached $18.4 billion in 2022.

☆ Vaccine makers prep bird flu shot for humans 'just in case'; rich nations lock in supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | Thomson Reuters | Jen Reports On Health Issues Affecting People Around The World | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

There has also been a push among companies to develop a bird flu vaccine for poultry, a market potentially far larger than that for humans. Many countries' pandemic plans say flu shots should go first to the most vulnerable while supply is limited. The agreements include six of the largest seasonal flu manufacturers, such as GSK, Sanofi and CSL Seqirus, the WHO said. NEW APPROACHESIn a pandemic, vaccine manufacturers would shift production of seasonal flu vaccines and instead make shots tailored to the new outbreak when needed. The results will be closely watched, as the data on Moderna’s seasonal flu candidate was mixed.

☆ Moderna Peers Over a Scary Profit Cliff
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( David Wainer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo: Maddie Malhotra for The Wall Street JournalModerna’s projection for full-year expenses includes about $4.5 billion for research and development. When it comes to profits, the new Moderna is about to look a lot like the old Moderna. That’s spooking investors. Moderna on Thursday reported financial results that showed that in the two main Covid-19 vaccination years—2021 and 2022—the company made in excess of $20 billion in profits on more than $37 billion in revenue.

☆ Moderna’s Earnings, Revenue Fall on Fewer Vaccine Sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo: Simon Simard for The Wall Street JournalModerna said its research and development expenses soared in the fourth quarter. Moderna Inc. reported lower revenue and earnings in the fourth quarter as demand for its Covid-19 vaccine sank from year-earlier highs when the spread of the Omicron variant boosted sales. The pharmaceutical company, based in Cambridge, Mass., on Thursday said a decrease in volumes for its Covid-19 vaccine pushed sales 29% lower to $5.1 billion, which still topped analyst expectations for $5.02 billion, according to FactSet.

☆ Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna gear up for 2024 London trial over COVID vaccine patents
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoLONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and its German partner BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) are gearing up for a 2024 trial with Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) at London's High Court in competing patent lawsuits over their rival COVID-19 vaccines. The case reached London's High Court for the first time for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, ahead of a trial which is due to take place in April 2024. Pfizer and BioNTech sued Moderna in London in September, seeking to revoke two of Moderna's patents in relation to its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Moderna brought its own lawsuit that month over Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine, seeking damages for alleged infringement of its patents. Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are also engaged in litigation in Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.

☆ Fact Check-COVID-19 vaccines do not add a ‘third strand’ of DNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine does not alter human DNA or add a third strand to people’s DNA, as claimed in a video circulating on social media and viewed more than 400,000 times on Twitter. This gave me chills.”However, the video offers no evidence for its claim about the vaccine altering human DNA. The messenger RNA (mRNA) in approved COVID-19 vaccines does not interact with human DNA inside cells, and does not enter the cell nucleus where DNA is housed. Reuters has also addressed other false claims that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA (here, here, here). COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA do not alter human DNA or add a third strand to the DNA double helix.

☆ Moderna’s RSV Vaccine Reduces Risk of Respiratory Diseases, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Peter Loftus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Moderna says it will apply in the coming months for regulatory approval to sell its vaccine against RSV. An experimental vaccine from Moderna Inc. significantly reduced the risk of a viral respiratory disease among older adults in a large clinical trial, the latest promising sign in drugmakers’ efforts to fight the deadly RSV virus. Based on the results, the Cambridge, Mass., company said Tuesday it would apply in the coming months for U.S. regulatory approval to sell its vaccine against RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus. If regulators approve, it could become available by early 2024, the company said.

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