Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine expectations game

Good afternoon, readers.

On Monday, stock futures soared on news of positive early data for Moderna’s experimental coronavirus vaccine. And while, understandably, investors and the public are looking for even the smallest glimmer of good news these days, there are still plenty of questions to be answered about Moderna’s vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273.

For one thing, we haven’t seen a full dataset yet. Moderna’s announcement came via a press release saying that all 45 of its trial participants developed coronavirus antibodies after receiving various doses of mRNA-1273. This is what’s called interim data—shorthand for “more data still need to come in”—from a subset of study participants in a phase one trial. (For more details on exactly what Moderna announced, you can read my explainer here.)

That’s not to say it isn’t a positive development. And Moderna chairman Noubar Afeyan has insisted that the company would not make any data claims that diverge from reality. It will just take more time and larger future trials before we get a better picture of what’s happening with this vaccine.

One of the larger questions about, not just Moderna’s experimental vaccine, but any coronavirus vaccine candidate, is what the production of antibodies actually means for long-lasting immunity, and how strong that immunity will be. That will take months or even years to determine. For instance, is there a moderate rate of re-infection for patients who have recovered?

We’ll find out over the next year, and clearly everyone wants to see a vaccine work. But it’s going to take time to figure it out.

Read on for the day’s news, have a great (and safe) Memorial Day weekend, and see you again next week.

Sy Mukherjee
[email protected]
@the_sy_guy

DIGITAL HEALTH

Singapore is testing out what's basically a coronavirus Roomba. Here's one I didn't see coming—a company in Singapore is deploying a robot to a shopping mall to try and zap away coronavirus with powerful UVC light. The Sunburst UV Bot is a smart robot that can sense whether or not there are humans around (UVC light can be harmful to people), although it will only be used at the mall after closing time. Here's one catch—the thing costs nearly $50,000. (Reuters)

3 states to deploy Apple's and Google's contact tracing tech. Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina are poised to use contact tracing technologies developed by Apple and Google in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The contact tracing apps, which will be developed by government health departments, will utilize Google's and Apple's underlying tech, which uses Bluetooth in order to alert users who have been near someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Due to privacy concerns, the companies say no data would be stored on a central database, but rather on users' personal phone, making it a more decentralized system. (CNBC)

INDICATIONS

U.S. Nabs rights to one third of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has secured rights to 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's experimental coronavirus vaccine through a $1.2 billion investment meant to spur its development. “This contract with AstraZeneca is a major milestone in Operation Warp Speed’s work toward a safe, effective, widely available vaccine by 2021,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar in a statement. Health experts have said a vaccine will be integral to reopening societies at large, and countries around the world are vying, up front, for the rights to access as many doses as possible should one of the candidates prove effective. (Coins2Day)

AstraZeneca, Merck gain FDA approval for advanced prostate cancer drug. AstraZeneca and Merck's cancer treatment Lynparza has received an added indication from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with an advanced form of prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Lynparza is part of a class of cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors which have been approved to treat conditions such as ovarian cancer; what makes the prostate cancer label expansion significant is that the drug was shown to help patients live longer. (BioPharma Dive)

THE BIG PICTURE

Johnson & Johnson yanks baby powder from U.S. Market. Johnson & Johnson is discontinuing sales of talc-based powders in U.S. And Canadian markets amid both a rash of lawsuits claiming that they're linked to cancer as well as a portfolio restructuring as demand slows during the coronavirus outbreak. J&J says the decision was based in part on "changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising."(FiercePharma)

Experts warn of second coronavirus wave. A tracking model developed by the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia suggests that, while the risk of a second coronavirus wave would be significantly diminished should Americans maintain social distancing, certain states and regions are at elevated risk for a resurgence—particularly in the American South. Parts of Texas, Virginia, and Iowa have seen a spike in cases amid partial reopenings. (Washington Post)