But COVID-19 vaccine makers have warned that non-authorized producers(African Countries) would compete for vital raw materials and production gear that the established players – most of which have earned huge profits from vaccination – rely on. So this is about money and nothing else?!? Also not wanting African countries to become self aware and cut into the materials the established companies have already tried to keep a strangle hold on even though these materials are already in the backyard of the African countries to begin with!?!SG64
(Reuters) – Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Thursday it is developing a single vaccine that combines a booster dose against COVID-19 with its experimental flu shot.
The company hopes to eventually add vaccines it is working on for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory diseases as an annual shot.
“We believe this is a very large opportunity that is ahead of us, if we could bring to market a high efficacy pan-respiratory annual booster,” Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel said during a presentation to update investors on its drugs in development.
“We believe Moderna could be first to market in this important new opportunity,” he said.
The company is conducting clinical trials for an RSV vaccine in older adults.
Moderna and Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and German vaccine partner BioNTech SE are already expected to reap billions of dollars from COVID-19 booster shots, analysts and healthcare investors said. Adding influenza and other diseases could further boost those profits.
Moderna shares were up 6.2% on Thursday.
The drugmaker already had several influenza vaccine candidates in development. The new vaccine combines the experimental flu shot that is furthest along with its COVID-19 vaccine.
Oppenheimer & Co analyst Hartaj Singh said the news that clinical testing of combination vaccines was likely to begin over the next 6-12 months was a positive surprise for investors.
“The question becomes that after the pandemic is over, how much do total vaccine sales become and how much can Moderna expand that market,” Singh said.
Novavax Inc (NVAX.O), which does not yet have U.S. authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine, said on Wednesday it has initiated an early-stage study to test its combined flu and COVID-19 shots. read more
Moderna also provided updates on its ongoing mid-stage trial testing its authorized COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 6 months to 11 years old. It is testing a 50-microgram dose of the shot in the pediatric trial involving 4,000 children.
Moderna’s vaccine, which received an emergency use authorization for two 100-microgram doses for people aged 18 and older in the United States in December, is currently under an FDA review for use in adolescents.
Moderna said dose selection studies for different age groups such as 2 years to less than 6 years, and 6 months to below 2 years old, were still underway. read more
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was authorized for those aged 12 to 15 earlier this year.
This would be a good thing for Africa because they would be able to monitor the drugs coming and going through the countries effected and make their own drugs to combat any type of virus, disease and any other affliction that currently effect the Continent.
They could stop all the diseases that are in and around the countries of Africa, the west don’t want that, it will severely decrease the profits made by these same drug companies that falsely claim to be helping but not helping and making billions of dollars off the African public. No they don’t want to have this happen, now if they can control all aspects of the operations and people, they will be open to but they have to able to again make a profit off of this someway.SG64
Greatest story never told! 