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Inching toward a vaccine...slowly



Biotech company sees positive outcomes on possible coronavirus vaccine

vaccine, COVID-19, virus, corona

As we worry about keeping our kids safe and practice social distancing, biotech companies worldwide are scurrying to find the perfect vaccine that will release us from this stagnant world we find ourselves in.

While we in the Hudson Valley anxiously wait for businesses to be able to open,  it was exciting to hear a Cambridge, Massachusetts company Moderna announce that they had positive results in  their limited drug trial.

Moderna, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company, said they are seeing positive signs on early clinical data of its vaccine candidate against novel coronavirus from the Phase 1 study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

Based on the interim Phase 1 data, the Moderna-led Phase 2 study will be amended to study two dose levels, with the aim of selecting a dose for pivotal studies.

That was Monday.

On Wednesday, news outlets, such Forbes, says that vaccine experts are expressing concern about the announcement because of the lack of statistical and clinical information released.  According to Stat News that while Moderna blitzed the media they did not release any clinical information to support their claims.

At the end of April, BioTech, a German company, in a joint venture with Pfizer, with offices in Pearl River in Rockland County, announced the completion of their initial trial conducted in Germany. They are expanding the trial to the United States which will include at least 200 participants.

Although the up and down cycle of the news concerning the development of a Covdi-19 vaccine can be discouraging, don't despair. Center Watch, a source for listings of clinical trial information, has a list of 650 Covid-19 clinical trials that are currently being conducted. With those numbers, some where, some company is going to hit the jackpot.

Companies are scrambling to develop treatments and create vaccines. And it looks like we are going to have to be patient as biotech groups release their data in conjunction with their findings.

Meanwhile, remember the current rule of thumb.
  • Practice social distancing
  • Wear face masks that cover your nose and mouth when you are in public places.
  • Wash your hands frequently.
  • And be safe



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