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☆ Pfizer's RSV vaccine shows potential to protect high-risk adults ages 18-59, widening possible use
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A vaccine from Pfizer showed the potential to protect adults ages 18 to 59 who are at increased risk of getting severely sick from respiratory syncytial virus in a late stage clinical trial, the company said Tuesday. The initial data suggests that Pfizer's shot, known as Abrysvo, could help protect a far wider population from RSV. The jab is currently approved in the U.S., Europe, Japan and other countries for adults ages 60 and older and expectant mothers who can pass on protection to their fetuses. Nearly 10% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 49 have a chronic condition that puts them at risk of severe RSV disease, according to Pfizer. GSK's RSV vaccine for adults ages 60 and above booked around £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) in sales last year.

Persons: Dr, Iona Munjal, Pfizer's Organizations: Pfizer, CNBC, GlaxoSmithKline Locations: U.S, Europe, Japan

☆ I made $9,450 and erased my credit card debt by joining 2 clinical trials. I just had to agree to get the flu and dysentery.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . My flu clinical trial stay came with free room serviceThe study took place in a 3-star hotel in downtown Baltimore. (Just to be clear: I would never eat in my bed at home — gross — but when living in a hotel room with an extra bed, why not?) I'm lucky that I'm not prone to cabin fever, so the prospect of being stuck, quarantine-like, inside a hotel room didn't faze me. We waited for several days for the researchers to find a proper "donor" who could spread the flu.

Persons: —, Christopher Silva, It's, I'd, Silva, we'd, Shirley Jackson, it's, Hilary Brueck Organizations: Service, University of Maryland, Uno, University of Maryland School of Public, University of Maryland School of Public Health, Health Locations: Pennsylvania, Baltimore, hbrueck@businessinsider.com

☆ Some states are loosening their Covid isolation guidelines, shifting away from CDC recommendations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Oregon changed its isolation policy in May when the Covid-19 public health emergency lifted, and California followed suit earlier this month. The recent order from the California health department notes that the potential infectious period spans from two days before through 10 days after symptoms or a positive test. Less restrictive isolation policies could allow people to feel more comfortable with testing, which could prompt them to get treatment or feel more comfortable taking other protective measures. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon’s state health officer, said that equity was a key factor considered in the decision to change isolation policy in the state. Public health policy decisions are rarely black-and-white, experts say, and weighing tradeoffs can be more of an art than a perfect science.

Persons: Tomás Aragón, ”, Jennifer Nuzzo, we’re, Dan Barouch, Sarita Shah, Dean Sidelinger, ” Barouch, –, ” Nuzzo, Shah, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, you’re, ” Shah, “ Organizations: CNN —, US Centers for Disease Control, California Department of Public Health, CDC, Pandemic, Brown University School of Public Health, Center, Virology, Vaccine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical, Emory University, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: California, Oregon, COVID, hospitalizations, Covid

☆ Pfizer's combination Covid, flu vaccine will move to final-stage trial after positive data
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pfizer on Thursday said its combination vaccine candidates targeting Covid and the flu will move to a final-stage trial in the coming months after showing positive initial results in an early to mid-stage study. Covid vaccine rates in the U.S. were bleak last year, and could look the same this year. The trial measured the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Pfizer's combination vaccine candidates among adults ages 18 to 64. The results showed that "lead" formulations of Pfizer's combination vaccine demonstrated robust immune responses to influenza A, influenza B and Covid strains, according to Pfizer. The safety profiles of the combination vaccine candidates were also consistent with the company's Covid vaccine.

Persons: BioNTech, Annaliesa Anderson, Pfizer's, Albert Bourla Organizations: Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna Locations: U.S

☆ Novo Nordisk owner readies for big Wegovy windfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

COPENHAGEN, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The CEO of Novo Holdings said on Tuesday the controlling shareholder of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) is ready for a huge windfall from the runaway success of weight-loss drug Wegovy. Novo Holdings invests and manages the wealth and assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, whose newly bulging coffers could make it a major philanthropist and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor. He was speaking to a group of journalists in Copenhagen, where the investment company, its owner Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the drugmaker Novo Nordisk are all headquartered. [1/4]Novo Holdings A/S CEO Kasim Kutay speaks at Novo Nordisk Foundation in Hellerup, Denmark, October 3, 2023. Novo Holdings' early-stage investments team now has $200 million to deploy each year, Soren Moller, who heads the seed division, told Reuters.

Persons: Kasim Kutay, Wegovy, Kutay, I've, Morgan Stanley, Ali Withers, Peter Lawaetz Andersen, Andersen, Soren Moller, Maggie Fick, Josephine Mason, Louise Heavens, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Foundation, Holdings, Moelis, REUTERS, Foundation, Norway's Coalition, Reuters, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Danish, Copenhagen, Novo, United States, Hellerup, Denmark, Shanghai, China, Singapore, Boston, San Francisco

☆ mRNA vaccine: 5 things to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Here are five things to know about Karikó and Weissman’s game-changing research and mRNA vaccines. What mRNA doesMessenger RNA, or mRNA, is a form of nucleic acid that tells cells what to do based on the information contained in DNA. Messenger RNA-based vaccine technology doesn’t rely on a modified version of a virus to produce an immune response. Potential beyond fighting Covid-19The advent of mRNA vaccine technology has led to safe and strong protection against Covid-19. And mRNA technology is also being checked out as a possible alternative to gene therapy for intractable conditions such as sickle cell disease.

Persons: Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman, Peggy Peterson, Robin Shattock, ” Shattock, —, Karikó, Weissman, ”, Roberts, Thomas Perlmann, it’s Organizations: CNN, University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine, Imperial College London, Covid, Penn’s Perelman, of Medicine, Vaccine, Perelman School of Medicine, Nobel Assembly Locations: Hungary

And I told her that many, many scientists work very, very hard," Kariko added. BioNTech said in June that about 1.5 billion people across the world had received its mRNA shot, co-developed with Pfizer (PFE.N). [1/11]Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman win the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden October 2, 2023. The medicine prize kicks off this year's Nobel awards with the remaining five to be unveiled in coming days. The prizes, first handed out in 1901, were created by Swedish dynamite inventor and wealthy businessman Alfred Nobel.

Persons: Weissman, Katalin Kariko, Drew Weissman, Kariko, BioNTech, Rickard Sandberg, Susan Francia, immunologist, ”, Sir Andrew Pollard, Alfred Nobel, Swede Svante Paabo, Alexander Fleming, Karl Landsteiner, Niklas Pollard, Johan Ahlander, Ludwig Burger, Terje Solsvik, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Medicine, Nobel, Sweden's Karolinska Institute, University of Szeged, University of Pennsylvania, Pfizer, Karolinska Institute, TT News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Boston University, Oxford University, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, COVID, Hungary, Pennsylvania, Szeged, U.S, Stockholm, Sweden, Frankfurt, Krisztina, Budapest, Oslo

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded Monday to two scientists whose work led to the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. As countries prepared to roll out those shots, The Associated Press took a look at how the vaccines were developed so quickly. ___How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted. Both shots — one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health — are so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines, a brand-new technology.

Persons: Dr, Anthony Fauci, Buddy Creech, ” Creech, Tal Zaks, ”, Drew Weissman, Weissman, Katalin, Philip Dormitzer, Barney Graham’s, ” Fauci, Graham, Jason McLellan, hadn't, “, ” Graham, Germany’s, Pfizer’s Dormitzer, Ugur Sahin Organizations: Medicine, COVID, Associated Press, Vanderbilt University, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, National Institutes of Health, NIH, University of Pennsylvania, Penn, NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education, AP Locations: U.S, Massachusetts, BioNTech, New York, China

☆ Meet the Black students who were instrumental in developing the first Covid-19 shots
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Among about two dozen scientists in Graham’s lab were three young students: Olubukola Abiona, Geoffrey Hutchinson and Cynthia Ziwawo. What the world didn’t know at the time was that those three students — Abiona, Hutchinson and Ziwawo — were doing the foundational work for those vaccines to eventually save lives. Geoffrey Hutchinson served in the Peace Corps and taught chemistry to high school students in Mozambique. The fruits of Abiona, Hutchinson and Ziwawo’s labor were evident this week as the United States began to roll out updated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines. Abiona, Hutchinson and Ziwawo all confirmed Wednesday that although they haven’t made their appointments yet, they plan to get the updated shots.

Persons: Barney Graham’s, Olubukola Abiona, Geoffrey Hutchinson, Cynthia Ziwawo, “, Graham, ‘, ’ ”, Hutchinson, ”, ” Ziwawo, Anthony Fauci, — Abiona, Ziwawo —, Ziwawo, Kizzmekia Corbett, ” Corbett, David Satcher, he’s, Valerie Montgomery Rice, “ They’re, Abiona, Hannah Montana, Austin Steele, CNN Abiona, BioNTech, “ It’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Vaccine Research, National Institutes of Health, University of Washington, “, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy, Diseases, Moderna, Morehouse School of Medicine, David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute, Association of American Medical Colleges, NIH, Disney, David Satcher Global Health Equity Summit, KPMG LLP, Indiana University School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Peace Corps, United States, Pfizer, CNN Health, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: China, Bethesda , Maryland, Ziwawo, United States, Atlanta, Graham’s, Nigeria, Mozambique, Abiona, United

☆ Where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Delivers His Fringe Views: Not on the Trail
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sheera Frenkel | More About Sheera Frenkel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In an online meeting with anti-vaccine activists on June 27, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat running for president, falsely said there was good evidence that vaccine research had caused millions of deaths during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. He also claimed that such research could have created Covid-19, H.I.V. But in an appearance before Congress on July 20, Mr. Kennedy made none of those assertions. In large public forums like Congress, Mr. Kennedy, 69, has moderated his extreme views, while continuing to advocate them in other settings. He did not mention vaccines and limited his comments on Covid to criticism of pandemic lockdowns.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, “ Organizations: Democrat, Democratic, New York Times Locations: Iowa , Vermont, Virginia, Ukraine

Nicknamed "Pirola" on social media, the BA.2.86 Omicron subvariant is being tracked by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of Aug. 30, CDC said the BA.2.86 variant was detected in at least four U.S. states in people or wastewater. Delaware on Tuesday said it had detected a BA.2.86 infection at a hospital. Moderna on Wednesday said clinical data showed that its retooled COVID vaccine generated a nearly 9-fold increase in human antibodies that can neutralize BA.2.86. Pfizer said on Wednesday that its updated COVID shot showed neutralizing activity against BA.2.86 and EG.5 in studies conducted on mice.

Persons: Emily Elconin, David Dowdy, Dowdy, Dan Barouch, David Ho, Deena Beasley, Julie Steenhuysen, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Moderna, Pfizer, World Health Organization, WHO, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, EG, Omicron, East, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center, Virology, Vaccine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical, Columbia University, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Waterford , Michigan, U.S, Europe, Asia, Delaware, East Coast, Boston, Sweden, China

☆ J&J's Janssen to close part of its vaccine division
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines are seen on a table in Los Angeles, May 7, 2021. Johnson & Johnson 's Janssen division, which helped to develop its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, will close much of its vaccine research and development operations in the Netherlands, newspaper De Telegraaf reported. In an emailed response on Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson confirmed plans to exit some of its vaccine research and development programs, which it said it had initially disclosed in its 2023 second-quarter results. "We also continually assess our global footprint, including in the Netherlands, to ensure it meets our current and evolving scientific needs," Johnson & Johnson said. De Telegraaf reported that 2,500 people worked at Janssen in the Netherlands, a quarter of which were in the section specialising in infectious diseases and vaccines.

Persons: Johnson, Johnson Covid, Janssen, De Telegraaf Locations: Los Angeles, Netherlands

☆ J&J's Janssen to close part of its vaccine division -Telegraaf
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The exterior of Johnson and Johnson's subsidiary Janssen Vaccines in Leiden, Netherlands, March 9, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing RightsAMSTERDAM, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) Janssen division, which helped to develop its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, will close much of its vaccine research and development operations in the Netherlands, newspaper De Telegraaf reported. In an emailed response on Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson confirmed plans to exit some of its vaccine research and development programmes, which it said it had initially disclosed in its 2023 second-quarter results. De Telegraaf reported that 2,500 people worked at Janssen in the Netherlands, a quarter of which were in the section specialising in infectious diseases and vaccines. J&J's relatively large Dutch vaccine operation stems in part from its $2.1 billion acquisition in 2011 of vaccine maker Crucell.

Persons: Johnson, de Wouw, Janssen, De Telegraaf, J, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Toby Sterling, David Goodman, David Evans Organizations: Janssen Vaccines, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Leiden, Netherlands

☆ R.F.K. Jr. Is a Walking, Talking Conspiracy Theory - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Gail Collins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And while he isn’t going to win, he’ll certainly draw a lot of attention. Even loyal Democrats have gotten kinda bored with our current president, and nobody really loves the idea of him celebrating his 86th birthday in the White House. It’s very clear that many of the folks who’ve told pollsters they want to nominate R.F.K. There was a time — a very long time ago — when the world knew him mainly as a battler for the environment. And even though he must realize his anti-pharmaceutical ranting is not going to win him the nomination, he doesn’t seem quite able to contain himself.

Persons: Kennedy, Joe Biden, he’ll, who’ve, pollsters, R.F.K ., he’s, Oprah, Clinton, “, spasmodic dysphonia, ”, we’ve Organizations: Democratic, Waterbury Democratic, Committee Locations: Waterbury, ”, Connecticut

☆ Suddenly, It Looks Like We’re in a Golden Age for Medicine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Hype springs eternal in medicine, but lately the horizon of new possibility seems almost blindingly bright. “I’ve been running my research lab for almost 30 years,” says Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley. And yet these brutal years — which brought more than a million American deaths and probably 20 million deaths worldwide, and seemed to return even the hypermodern citadels of the wealthy West to something like the experience of premodern plague — might also represent an unprecedented watershed of medical innovation. “It’s stunning,” says the immunologist Barney Graham, the former deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center and a central figure in the development of mRNA vaccines, who has lately been writing about a “new era for vaccinology.” “You cannot imagine what you’re going to see over the next 30 years. The pace of advancement is in an exponential phase right now.”

Persons: I’ve, ”, Jennifer Doudna, Doudna, Barney Graham Organizations: University of California, Army, Vaccine Research Center Locations: Berkeley, West

☆ Pfizer RSV vaccine for older adults is only slightly less effective after 18 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Pfizer 's vaccine that protects adults ages 60 and older from respiratory syncytial virus was slightly less effective after 18 months, according to clinical trial results the company announced Wednesday. The data is from New York-based Pfizer's clinical trial on more than 34,000 older adults over two RSV seasons, or 24 months. The vaccine was roughly 49% effective against the same condition with two or more symptoms after 18 months, according to Pfizer. Anderson said studies are ongoing, and so is research evaluating the shot's efficacy in older adults with weak immune systems. RSV kills 6,000 to 10,000 older adults and hospitalizes 60,000 to 160,000 of them every year, according to the CDC.

Persons: Pfizer's, It's, Annaliesa Anderson, Anderson, Pfizer hasn't Organizations: Pfizer, Northern, That's, Centers for Disease Control, and Drug Administration, GlaxoSmithKline, CNBC, CDC Locations: New York, U.S

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2023. Here's what we know so far:A CAP ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDINGThe deal would suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until January of 2025, allowing the U.S. government to pay its bills. Republicans have told their members that non-defense discretionary spending would be cut to 2022 levels, apart from veterans' healthcare, which would remain fully funded. The U.S. government will spend $936 billion on non-defense discretionary spending in 2023. However, other sources say the deal codifies relief from student loan payments while Biden's executive action providing up to $20,000 of debt relief per borrower is under review by the Supreme Court.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday reached an agreement in principle to lift the debt ceiling that would trim some U.S. federal spending. Here's what we know so far:A CAP ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDINGThe deal would suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until January of 2025, allowing the U.S. government to pay its bills. In exchange, non-defense discretionary spending would be capped at current year levels in 2024 and increased by only 1% in 2025. INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDINGThe deal is expected to boost defense spending to around $885 billion, in line with Biden's 2024 budget spending proposal.

☆ Factbox: What's in the debt ceiling deal Biden, McCarthy are negotiating?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy are nearing a deal to lift the debt ceiling that would trim some U.S. federal spending. Here's what we know so far:A CAP ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDINGThe deal under consideration would lift the debt ceiling in exchange for holding non-defense discretionary spending around current year levels. INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDINGThe deal under consideration could boost defense spending to around $885 billion, in line with Biden's 2024 budget spending proposal. COVID CLAWBACKBiden and McCarthy are expected to agree to clawback unused COVID relief funds as part of the budget deal, including funding that had been set aside for vaccine research and disaster relief. ENERGY PERMITTINGA plan to make it easier for energy projects - including fossil-fuel based ones - is expected to be part of any budget deal.

☆ Biden Nominates Monica Bertagnolli to Run National Institutes of Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Liz Essley Whyte | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, a surgeon by training, previously taught at Harvard Medical School. Photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated PressPresident Biden nominated Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to head the National Institutes of Health and steer the federal government’s pursuit of cutting-edge medical research. The Wall Street Journal in April first reported the White House’s pick. Monday’s nomination would end a 17-month search to find a scientist to head an agency, with a $47 billion yearly budget, that plays an important role conducting and funding disease, drug and vaccine research.

☆ Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’ In his most extensive interview yet, Anthony Fauci wrestles with the hard lessons of the pandemic — and the decisions that will define his legacy. But when people say, “Fauci shut down the economy” — it wasn’t Fauci. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. We also had a public-health system that we thought was really, really good. But it was really, really antiquated.

☆ Oxford malaria vaccine rollout could have 'major' implications in sub-Saharan Africa, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The University of Oxford Jenner Institute, which developed the vaccine, estimates that malaria kills around 800,000 people per annum. These casualties occur predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, where one in five childhood deaths is associated with the disease. The WHO assessed that 241 million clinical cases of malaria occurred in 2020, resulting in 627,000 deaths, mostly among children in Africa. A health worker vaccinates a child against malaria in Ndhiwa, Homabay County, western Kenya on September 13, 2019 during the launch of malaria vaccine in Kenya. Brian Ongoro | AFP | Getty ImagesIn 2021, the WHO signed off on GSK's RTS,S malaria vaccine for rollout across sub-Saharan Africa, following pilot programs in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, which tracked 800,000 children since 2019.

☆ 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.

☆ Updated Covid boosters cut the infection risk from XBB.1.5 subvariant by half, CDC finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The updated Covid boosters reduce the risk of Covid infection from the predominant omicron subvariant by nearly half, according to early data published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings are “quite reassuring,” Dr. Brendan Jackson, the head of the CDC’s Covid response, said on a call with reporters Wednesday. As of last Wednesday, only about 15% of people in the U.S. had received an updated booster, according to CDC data. People who were vaccinated but had not received the updated booster were compared to those who got the updated booster in the previous two to three months. People who got the updated boosters are probably "much more likely to wear masks indoors or restrain their travel or not go to indoor restaurants," he said.

☆ FDA proposes simplifying the Covid vaccine schedule, making it similar to the flu shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Food and Drug Administration advisers will meet Thursday to discuss simplifying the Covid vaccination schedule, allowing most people to get the currently available booster, regardless of how many doses they had received before that. The FDA is proposing skipping over that primary series, meaning that most unvaccinated individuals could go ahead and get the latest booster shot if they decided to get a Covid vaccine. The FDA’s proposal, experts say, would greatly simplify the Covid vaccination schedule in the United States — aligning it more closely with the annual flu shot. In another similarity to the flu shot, the FDA is considering whether the Covid vaccine should be updated at least once a year, based on what strains are in circulation. Dr. Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said simplifying the Covid vaccine schedule makes sense.

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