TWiV 693: Vax to the future13 Dec 2020 14:54
My notes from the latest This Week in Virology podcast:
https://youtu.be/RQxepsLIGLM
Pfizer vaccine - 17-4-1 FDA Vote; those against/abstaining were against 16 & 17-year-olds as insufficient data has been generated so far. Only EUA so far, full approval to be sought n April after 6 months' data. The Moderna vaccine is now going to do a trial in children aged 12 to 17 [normally excluded age group because they have longer to live so at more long term danger].
The Sanofi/Glaxo vaccine trial used the wrong dosage [too low] and ended up producing a lower level of antibodies in those aged over 49 than those who had actually been infected. A new phase 2b trial is going to be undertaken but half of the participants will get an approved vaccine instead of a placebo. The lower level of dosage was used as the test they used to check the concentration used fluorescence and other particles in the vaccine were read, giving a higher total; this also happened in the AZN trial where some people got a low initial dosage.
NOTE - new vaccines are now likely to be trialled against an existing vaccine; this means a high standard to meet and high expenses as more trial participants will be required. Good luck to any small bio company like Scancell trying to make a vaccine as it will cost more than they can afford.
AstraZeneca Vaccine - data has been published. More on people getting too low a dose [caused by a reagent in the vaccine making it appear if there was more RNA / DNA in the vaccine when measured under a specific light frequency]. If people had symptoms, then they were tested, but they also tested weekly to account for asymptomatic infections. In this trial people got the Meningitis vaccine instead of a placebo which is considered a better trial design as it was less likely to affect people's behaviour.
Some people in the AZN trial had already been infected with Covid - they had no adverse reaction to the vaccine which is a good finding. The results indicate that people who got the vaccine did not get sick but did get infected and were likely to be infectious.
KEEP PROTECTING YOURSELF - there will be no herd immunity from vaccination because people who have been vaccinated appear to catch the virus and shed it, but do not get sick.
MORE DATA NEEDED - still limited data; time will tell more details as more data is generated.
MK-4482 - has been tested in ferrets and it stops transmission between them. This could be useful in humans [eg outbreak in a nursing home or school] if given early enough and phase 2 in humans is likely to proceed. MK-4482 was / is being developed as a flu treatment and is likely to be effective against any RNA virus.
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