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☆ Now Hiring: Sophisticated (but Part-Time) Chatbot Tutors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Yiwen Lu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After her second child was born, Chelsea Becker took an unpaid, yearlong leave from her full-time job as a flight attendant. After watching a video on TikTok, she found a side hustle: training artificial intelligence models for a website called Data Annotation Tech. For a few hours every day, Ms. Becker, 33, who lives in Schwenksville, Pa., would sit at her laptop and interact with an A.I.-powered chatbot. technology has put a more sophisticated spin on a kind of gig work that doesn’t require leaving the house. The growth of large language models like the technology powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT has fueled the need for trainers like Ms. Becker, fluent English speakers who can produce quality writing.

Persons: Chelsea Becker, yearlong, Becker Locations: Schwenksville, Pa

☆ Novavax's updated Covid vaccine can still catch up to Pfizer, Moderna shots this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The biotech company is banking on sales of its updated Covid vaccine — its only commercially available product — and a broad cost-cutting push to help it stay afloat. Novavax's shot fends off the virus with protein-based technology, a decades-old method used in routine vaccinations against hepatitis B and shingles. The federal government shifted Covid vaccine distribution and coverage to the private market for the first time this fall. A sign advertises COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine shots at a Walgreens Pharmacy in Somerville, Massachusetts, August 14, 2023. Some pharmacies, like Walgreens , also appear to be resolving supply disruptions, which left many stores without any new Covid shots for patients to receive.

Persons: Patrick Van Katwijk, Novavax, aren't, Mayank Mamtani, fends, Silvia Taylor, Taylor, Novavax's, Mamtani, Hannah Beier, Jefferies, Roger Song, Brian Snyder, Biden Organizations: Dutch Health Service Organization, Getty, Pfizer, Moderna, Drug Administration, Riley Securities, CNBC, Covid, FDA, Bloomberg, Insurance, Walgreens, Reuters Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, U.S, Schwenksville , Pennsylvania, Somerville , Massachusetts

☆ CDC advisors recommend updated Covid vaccines for all Americans ages 6 months and up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An independent advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended that all Americans ages 6 months and up receive updated Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna , the next step toward the shots reaching Americans in the coming days. Thirteen advisors voted in favor of that "universal" recommendation for Americans, while one voted against it. It is a vaccine-preventable disease," said Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor at the University of Washington and member of the panel, during the advisory meeting. "And so, for that reason, I favor the universal recommendation." The advisory panel's "universal" recommendation comes a day after the Food and Drug Administration approved the two mRNA jabs, which are designed to target the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.

Persons: Mandy Cohen, Georgina Peacock, Beth Bell, Hospitalizations, hospitalizations, Megan Wallace Organizations: Moderna, Pharmacy, Centers for Disease Control, Pfizer, CDC, University of Washington, Food and Drug Administration, FDA Locations: Schwenksville , Pennsylvania, U.S

☆ Here’s what Pfizer and Moderna say is next for their Covid vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Scott Olson | Getty ImagesThree years and billions of Covid vaccinations into the pandemic, Pfizer and Moderna say their work is far from over. Here's what Moderna and Pfizer say is next for their Covid shots. Annual Covid shotsPfizer and Moderna aim to keep up with a shift in the U.S. toward annual Covid shots rather than frequent booster doses. Miller, who helped lead the development of Moderna's Covid shot in 2020, said the advantages of using mRNA became evident earlier on in the pandemic. 'Next-generation' Covid shotsPfizer's and Moderna's Covid vaccines both deliver robust protection against the virus, but that immunity can start to fade after four to six months.

☆ 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.

☆ Moderna misses on earnings as costs rise from surplus production capacity, lower Covid shot demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna on Thursday missed earnings expectation for the fourth quarter, as costs rose from surplus production capacity and lower demand for its Covid-19 vaccine, the company's only product on the market. Moderna reported quarterly earnings of $3.61 per share, a 68% decrease from the same period in 2021 when it booked $11.29 per share. Moderna has signed contracts for $5 billion in Covid vaccine deliveries for 2023. Moderna estimates U.S. market volume in fall 2023 will be 100 million doses, said Arpa Garay, the company's chief commercial officer. Garay said Moderna will leverage the infrastructure it already has in place for Covid to launch the RSV vaccine.

"When you think about traditional drug and vaccine development and longevity of sales, it's usually much more spread out," Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said. The sudden inflow of revenue should prod companies to strike deals and link up with new partners, he said. Vaccine maker Moderna also expects 2023 revenue to fall sharply. The company's only product - its messenger RNA COVID vaccine - pulled in around $18.4 billion in 2022. Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) made $2 billion in 2022 from monoclonal antibody COVID treatments and is not expecting any revenue from the business in 2023.

☆ The Covid pandemic drives Pfizer's 2022 revenue to a record $100 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic propelled pharmaceutical company Pfizer's earnings to a record $100 billion last year, almost $57 billion of which was driven by its vaccine and antiviral pill Paxlovid. The vaccine accounted for $37.8 billion, up just 3% from 2021, of Pfizer's total sales as demand for the shots slowed. But sales of its blockbuster antiviral treatment made up for that softening, surging to $18.9 billion in 2022, the first full-year that Paxlovid was on the market. Covid vaccines sales are projected to plummet by 64% this year to $13.5 billion from $37.8 billion in 2022. Paxlovid sales are expected to drop 58% to $8 billion in 2023 from $18.9 billion in 2022.

"Today we have additional evidence to show that these updated vaccines are protecting people against the latest COVID-19 variants," Dr. Brendan Jackson, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 response, told reporters in a briefing. Released last fall, the updated boosters target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which are no longer dominant. It showed that the updated vaccine helped prevent illness in roughly half of the people who had previously received two to four doses of the original COVID-19 vaccine, CDC said. The CDC said the updated vaccine worked similarly against BA.5-related infections and XBB/XBB.1.5-related infections. Given the findings, the CDC urged people to stay up to date on their recommended COVID-19 vaccines.

☆ Moderna says Covid booster better against omicron BA.5, triggers immune response against BQ.1.1
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna's new Covid booster triggered a stronger immune response against omicron BA.5 and also appears to work against the emerging BQ.1.1 subvariant, according to the company. Moderna, in clinical trial data published Monday, found that the new booster triggered five times more antibodies against omicron BA.5 than the old vaccines in people with prior Covid infections. Moderna said it also found the new booster triggered robust immune response against omicron BQ.1.1, an emerging Covid subvariant in the U.S. Pfizer also released data earlier this month indicating that the boosters provide better protection against omicron BA.5 than the old shots. Two independent studies from Columbia and Harvard found that the boosters did not do a much better job against omicron BA.5.

☆ Moderna shares plummet after Covid vaccine maker lowers 2022 sales outlook
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Moderna on Thursday lowered its 2022 sales guidance for its Covid-19 vaccine after missing Wall Street expectations for the third quarter. The Boston biotech company said it now expects to book $18 billion to $19 billion in revenue from its Covid vaccine this year, down from its previous guidance of $21 billion. Moderna said some Covid vaccine deliveries have been pushed into 2023 due to supply constraints. Moderna's third quarter revenue came in at $3.36 billion, down 32% from the same period in 2021. It is also expecting phase three immune response data from its flu vaccine candidate in the first quarter of 2023.

☆ Analysis: Falling demand for COVID boosters puts price hikes on the table
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, many on Wall Street were estimating the number of COVID-19 shots would be in line with the annual flu vaccine, which is the vaccine market leader with more than 160 million shots per year in the United States and 600 million shots globally. A recent poll by Kaiser Family Foundation found that two-thirds of American adults do not plan on getting a COVID vaccine soon. He added that instances of COVID infections in those who have been vaccinated has left many to question the effectiveness of the vaccine. The companies could make up for some of the weaker demand with price increases. That would mean annual revenue of $3 billion to $5 billion over the long-term for a company like Moderna, he added.

☆ U.S. committee recommends COVID shot for CDC's free vaccine program
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierNEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - An expert committee on Wednesday recommended that COVID-19 shots become part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine program for children, which provides many types of free inoculations to millions of kids each year. While all COVID-19 vaccines are currently provided free in the United States by the federal government, the U.S. public health emergency is expected to end in early 2023 and the private market will take over distribution of COVID vaccines and treatments. The committee's recommendation allows for distribution by the Vaccines for Children Program under the CDC's current COVID vaccine guidance, which is for all children over the age of 6 months to be vaccinated and those age 5 and older to receive booster shots. In the United States, the CDC sets out a schedule of vaccination targets by age and states decide which vaccines are mandatory for school entry. Only about one-third of school-aged children have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the United States.

☆ FDA authorizes Novavax's Covid shots as mix-and-match booster to Pfizer or Moderna
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The authorization of Novavax's booster could significantly increase the role that its shot plays in U.S. vaccination efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still has to give the final go ahead before pharmacies can start administering Novavax's booster. Only 35,300 people have received Novavax's shots so far in the U.S., according to data from the CDC. By comparison, some 372.5 million Pfizer shots, 235.8 million Moderna doses and 18.9 million Johnson & Johnson shots have been administered across the U.S. so far. People who received Novavax's vaccine as their primary series are also eligible for Pfizer and BioNTech's new omicron booster.

☆ Pfizer/BioNTech seek FDA nod for new COVID boosters for children
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub variants is pictured at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/File PhotoSept 26 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and its German partner BioNTech on Monday sought the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's authorization for an Omicron-tailored COVID-19 vaccine booster for children aged 5 through 11 years. The rollout of bivalent booster doses for older age groups has been off to a slow start in the United States compared to the rollout of the first boosters last year, with 4.4 million doses administered so far. read moreEarlier in the month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it expects COVID-19 vaccine boosters targeting circulating variants of the virus to be available for children aged 5-11 years by mid-October. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. CDC expects Omicron COVID boosters for kids by mid-October
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierSept 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects COVID-19 vaccine boosters targeting circulating variants of the virus to be available for children aged 5-11 years by mid-October. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe CDC said it expects Pfizer-BioNTech's (PFE.N), bivalent vaccine to be available for children aged 5-11 years, and Moderna's (MRNA.O) vaccine for those aged 6-17 years, pending FDA authorization. The Pfizer vaccine is already authorized as a booster dose for children over 12 years of age, while Moderna's bivalent vaccine is authorized for adults. The CDC expects pre-orders for the Pfizer shot to begin for the age group next week. The Moderna vaccine will have the same formulation for children and adults and will not require a separate pre-order period, the CDC said.

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