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See Post #26 regarding trials beginning and Post #47 for link with specifics regarding the trials.
We may now know why Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, and other medications were decreed to be ineffective and dangerous against COVID-19. Well, at least if you are of a cynical and suspicious mind. If you are less suspicious, then what could be wrong with a pharmaceutical 'bailout?' $18 Billion for vaccines. $3.2 Billion for a pill.
A Pill to Treat Covid-19? The U.S. Is Betting on It.
Oh. I see. It's Trump's fault for investing in what Fauci deemed "the Holy Grail," a vaccine. Now, Fauci wants a pill. It's not like we already have a couple. Uh...
Well, as they say, what could go wrong?
Clearly, I just didn't understand... Biden Administration Unveils $3.2 Billion Hunt For Pill To Treat COVID-19, Other Viruses
So... Fauci's "Holy Grail" isn't a panacea after all? Ah... Once again, I was intellectually incapable of grasping the important point. I mean, "the man" himself said it back in 2018... Despite push for a universal flu vaccine, the ‘holy grail’ stays out of reach
Then, a year ago... COVID-19 vaccine: Dr. Fauci explains why it might not help Americans
Then, in August of last year... Can Platform Vaccines Really Save Us?
I mean, clearly, it's not like he has an agenda or anything. Again, from a year ago... Fauci: Countless Lives Have Been Saved, but an HIV Vaccine and Cure Remain Elusive
Then, a couple weeks ago... Fauci: COVID-19 vaccines could 'ultimately help us to develop a successful and highly effective HIV vaccine'
Of course, once again, I'm just too dumb. I mean, this dates back to, at least, 2013... NIH Scientists Work To Develop ‘Holy Grail’ Flu Vaccine
Okay. Now I think I get it. It's about funding for research and an attempt to secure a legacy with an 'universal vaccine' for the flu and/or a vaccine/cure for HIV/AIDS. It's not about a pharmaceutical 'bailout,' per se or 'conspiracy theories' that... Fact-check: Does Anthony Fauci have millions invested in a coronavirus vaccine?
It's about this "saint" working solely for the good of humanity over the last 40+ years to see something developed that we've been unable to develop. But, if we just had a little more money from taxpayers...
Of course, none of this raises questions about mandating COVID vaccines - right?
We may now know why Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, and other medications were decreed to be ineffective and dangerous against COVID-19. Well, at least if you are of a cynical and suspicious mind. If you are less suspicious, then what could be wrong with a pharmaceutical 'bailout?' $18 Billion for vaccines. $3.2 Billion for a pill.
A Pill to Treat Covid-19? The U.S. Is Betting on It.
The U.S. government spent more than $18 billion last year funding drugmakers to make a Covid vaccine, an effort that led to at least five highly effective shots in record time. Now it’s pouring more than $3 billion on a neglected area of research: developing pills to fight the virus early in the course of infection, potentially saving many lives in the years to come...
A number of other viruses, including influenza, H.I.V. and hepatitis C, can be treated with a simple pill. But despite more than a year of research, no such pill exists to treat someone with a coronavirus infection before it wreaks havoc. Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s program for accelerating Covid-19 research, invested far more money in the development of vaccines than of treatments, a gap that the new program will try to fill.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key backer of the program, said he looked forward to a time when Covid-19 patients could pick up antiviral pills from a pharmacy as soon as they tested positive for the coronavirus or develop Covid-19 symptoms...
A number of other viruses, including influenza, H.I.V. and hepatitis C, can be treated with a simple pill. But despite more than a year of research, no such pill exists to treat someone with a coronavirus infection before it wreaks havoc. Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s program for accelerating Covid-19 research, invested far more money in the development of vaccines than of treatments, a gap that the new program will try to fill.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key backer of the program, said he looked forward to a time when Covid-19 patients could pick up antiviral pills from a pharmacy as soon as they tested positive for the coronavirus or develop Covid-19 symptoms...
...So far, only one antiviral has demonstrated a clear benefit to people in hospitals: remdesivir. Originally investigated as a potential cure for Ebola, the drug seems to shorten the course of Covid-19 when given intravenously to patients. In October, it became the first — and so far, the only — antiviral drug to gain full F.D.A. approval to treat the disease.
Yet remdesivir’s performance has left many researchers underwhelmed. In November, the World Health Organization recommended against using the drug...
Yet remdesivir’s performance has left many researchers underwhelmed. In November, the World Health Organization recommended against using the drug...
...Dr. Kessler acknowledged that there will be challenges in using such pills to drive down hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19. People will need to gain access to the drugs as soon as they test positive. “Your testing programs are going to have to be linked to your treatment,” he said.
And if the history of antiviral research is any guide, the first drugs for Covid-19 will probably only offer modest benefit against the disease, Dr. Fauci said. But that would be a good start.
“With all of these drugs that we’ve dealt with over the years, we’ve never hit a home run the first time at bat,” Dr. Fauci said. “A line drive off the left-field wall to start would be really good.”
The government will also spend up to $1.2 billion on research centers where scientists will carry out early-stage studies on drugs that block the coronavirus in other ways. Some drugs may interfere with other essential viral proteins, while others may make it impossible to copy the virus’s genes...
And if the history of antiviral research is any guide, the first drugs for Covid-19 will probably only offer modest benefit against the disease, Dr. Fauci said. But that would be a good start.
“With all of these drugs that we’ve dealt with over the years, we’ve never hit a home run the first time at bat,” Dr. Fauci said. “A line drive off the left-field wall to start would be really good.”
The government will also spend up to $1.2 billion on research centers where scientists will carry out early-stage studies on drugs that block the coronavirus in other ways. Some drugs may interfere with other essential viral proteins, while others may make it impossible to copy the virus’s genes...
...Dr. David Kessler, the chief science officer for the White House’s COVID-19 response, said the Biden administration’s investment, linked to President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, would only add to the robust vaccination program that’s ongoing across the country.
“Even with very effective vaccines, some people may remain vulnerable to the virus, including people who are immunosuppressed or who are unvaccinated,” Kessler said in a statement. “An easily administered oral antiviral drug would be an important part of our therapeutic arsenal that would complement the great success of our vaccine efforts.”
Medicine has advanced in recent decades to better treat viruses like HIV and hepatitis C, or even influenza, with antivirals. Researchers are currently testing antiviral pills that work in a similar fashion, and HHS said 19 drugs had been prioritized as part of the $3.2 billion package for testing and clinical trials in patients with COVID-19...
“Even with very effective vaccines, some people may remain vulnerable to the virus, including people who are immunosuppressed or who are unvaccinated,” Kessler said in a statement. “An easily administered oral antiviral drug would be an important part of our therapeutic arsenal that would complement the great success of our vaccine efforts.”
Medicine has advanced in recent decades to better treat viruses like HIV and hepatitis C, or even influenza, with antivirals. Researchers are currently testing antiviral pills that work in a similar fashion, and HHS said 19 drugs had been prioritized as part of the $3.2 billion package for testing and clinical trials in patients with COVID-19...
...Based on the current understanding of flu, there are 198 possible combinations of influenza A viruses, the ones identified with names including numbered Hs and Ns. There are 18 known hemagglutinins or Hs, and 11 known neuraminidases or Ns...
The reality is that some H and N combinations have never been seen, even in wild water birds, the original source of all flu viruses. And in a recent interview with STAT, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID, said he thinks a single vaccine that could protect against all these potential viruses is currently “unattainable.”
He does, however, think that it is possible to make vaccines that could protect more broadly against common viruses, like H3N2. If scientists could make an effective H3N2 vaccine that would help the immune system recognize all H3 viruses, regardless of the constant shape-shifting the virus undertakes to evade our immune defenses, that would substantially lessen the toll that virus takes.
Fauci described a scenario in which a better H3N2 vaccine could be developed, one that might also provide protection against one of the bird flu viruses that are seen as pandemic threats, like H7N9. Later, a better vaccine to protect against the H1N1 virus — the other influenza A virus that causes human illness — could be developed, which would include a different bird flu virus, such as H5N1. The timeline for development of these types of products — if industry moves to develop them — could be years rather than a decade or two, he suggested...
In the strategic plan Fauci’s agency published last week, universal was defined as meeting four must-have criteria. The vaccine would have to be at least 75 percent effective, be suitable for people of all ages, protect against viruses from both hemagglutinin groups (though it does not say all), and generate protection for at least a year. Influenza B viruses — which cause a substantial amount of illness most years — are left for another iteration.
The notion that a universal vaccine would provide protection for a year also breaks with traditional ideas.
Osterholm was the lead author of a 2012 report that laid out the problems with existing flu vaccines and mapped out what would be needed to develop “game-changing” alternatives. (Osterholm prefers that term to “universal.”)
That report suggested a universal vaccine should provide at least a decade’s worth of protection. Breaking away from the annual vaccination cycle for flu is crucial, Osterholm said...
The reality is that some H and N combinations have never been seen, even in wild water birds, the original source of all flu viruses. And in a recent interview with STAT, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID, said he thinks a single vaccine that could protect against all these potential viruses is currently “unattainable.”
He does, however, think that it is possible to make vaccines that could protect more broadly against common viruses, like H3N2. If scientists could make an effective H3N2 vaccine that would help the immune system recognize all H3 viruses, regardless of the constant shape-shifting the virus undertakes to evade our immune defenses, that would substantially lessen the toll that virus takes.
Fauci described a scenario in which a better H3N2 vaccine could be developed, one that might also provide protection against one of the bird flu viruses that are seen as pandemic threats, like H7N9. Later, a better vaccine to protect against the H1N1 virus — the other influenza A virus that causes human illness — could be developed, which would include a different bird flu virus, such as H5N1. The timeline for development of these types of products — if industry moves to develop them — could be years rather than a decade or two, he suggested...
In the strategic plan Fauci’s agency published last week, universal was defined as meeting four must-have criteria. The vaccine would have to be at least 75 percent effective, be suitable for people of all ages, protect against viruses from both hemagglutinin groups (though it does not say all), and generate protection for at least a year. Influenza B viruses — which cause a substantial amount of illness most years — are left for another iteration.
The notion that a universal vaccine would provide protection for a year also breaks with traditional ideas.
Osterholm was the lead author of a 2012 report that laid out the problems with existing flu vaccines and mapped out what would be needed to develop “game-changing” alternatives. (Osterholm prefers that term to “universal.”)
That report suggested a universal vaccine should provide at least a decade’s worth of protection. Breaking away from the annual vaccination cycle for flu is crucial, Osterholm said...
...As for a COVID-19 vaccine, Fauci says he would be happy if it had an effectivity rate of 70% to 75%. Even though 25% to 30% of people who got the vaccine would still be able to be infected by COVID-19, a 70% to 75% effectivity rate would be enough to produce herd immunity in most locales...
However, even if a COVID-19 vaccine is found with up to a 75% effectivity rate, Fauci said that it was “unlikely” that America could achieve herd immunity. Why? Because up to a third of Americans have said they are unwilling to get a COVID-19 vaccine—even if it’s free to do so. Blame the rise of anti-vaxxer movements in America for that...
However, even if a COVID-19 vaccine is found with up to a 75% effectivity rate, Fauci said that it was “unlikely” that America could achieve herd immunity. Why? Because up to a third of Americans have said they are unwilling to get a COVID-19 vaccine—even if it’s free to do so. Blame the rise of anti-vaxxer movements in America for that...
...Universal vaccines, such as a vaccine that works against all coronaviruses or all SARS-like viruses, are something of a holy grail in vaccine development. To go back to Fauci’s chassis analogy, Rasmussen said, “You’ve got a single chassis and instead of making a whole bunch of different Chrysler models on that chassis, you’re gonna make just like a Smart Car.”
Universal vaccines as pandemic prevention has long been Fauci’s dream. In a meeting with me and several graduate writing students last year, he said—presciently, in hindsight—that he suspected a new respiratory virus like influenza would cause the next pandemic, and a universal vaccine was probably the only thing that could stop it. “You can’t be prepared for the abrupt emergence of a pandemic unless you do what we have been trying to do for the last few years and we’re actually making some significant progress on: developing what’s called the universal influenza vaccine,” Fauci said. “Until we do get a universal influenza vaccine, we will never be completely prepared for a pandemic.”...
Universal vaccines as pandemic prevention has long been Fauci’s dream. In a meeting with me and several graduate writing students last year, he said—presciently, in hindsight—that he suspected a new respiratory virus like influenza would cause the next pandemic, and a universal vaccine was probably the only thing that could stop it. “You can’t be prepared for the abrupt emergence of a pandemic unless you do what we have been trying to do for the last few years and we’re actually making some significant progress on: developing what’s called the universal influenza vaccine,” Fauci said. “Until we do get a universal influenza vaccine, we will never be completely prepared for a pandemic.”...
Then, a couple weeks ago... Fauci: COVID-19 vaccines could 'ultimately help us to develop a successful and highly effective HIV vaccine'
Of course, once again, I'm just too dumb. I mean, this dates back to, at least, 2013... NIH Scientists Work To Develop ‘Holy Grail’ Flu Vaccine
...But in China, a new strain called H7N9 has crossed from chickens to humans, and has killed more than 40 people...
Those deaths are being closely watched by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease...
The mortality rate is what worries Fauci and the researchers at NIH. If the virus were to mutate, and suddenly got really good at spreading, or even, a little better at spreading, that would be very dangerous...
In order to follow this and other flus closely, several hundred NIH scientists collaborate with specialists around the world. They write emails, post their findings on the Internet, and send each other samples from their labs. NIH scientists are currently working with the World Health Organization and Chinese scientists on H7N9. But their principal goal goes far beyond this particular strain of the flu. The holy grail of vaccine development is the universal flu vaccine — one shot that could protect from many flu strains, potentially over many years...
This holy grail vaccine is not yet ready for large scale human trials, but Faucci and others are optimistic they’ll have it in hand someday soon, so that when flu season bears down on us… we’ll be safe from H1N1, H7N9… or any other variation of the virus that comes our way...
Those deaths are being closely watched by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease...
The mortality rate is what worries Fauci and the researchers at NIH. If the virus were to mutate, and suddenly got really good at spreading, or even, a little better at spreading, that would be very dangerous...
In order to follow this and other flus closely, several hundred NIH scientists collaborate with specialists around the world. They write emails, post their findings on the Internet, and send each other samples from their labs. NIH scientists are currently working with the World Health Organization and Chinese scientists on H7N9. But their principal goal goes far beyond this particular strain of the flu. The holy grail of vaccine development is the universal flu vaccine — one shot that could protect from many flu strains, potentially over many years...
This holy grail vaccine is not yet ready for large scale human trials, but Faucci and others are optimistic they’ll have it in hand someday soon, so that when flu season bears down on us… we’ll be safe from H1N1, H7N9… or any other variation of the virus that comes our way...
...There is no evidence that Fauci is personally financially invested in a coronavirus vaccine, and scientists still don’t know if hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19...
Bottom line: We still don’t know whether chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine is effective at improving COVID-19 symptoms.
That uncertainty, as well as the drugs’ adverse heart effects and the potential for doctors to stockpile it, is why public health officials have urged caution. There are no Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to treat COVID-19, although the agency has issued an emergency authorization for the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in hospitals...
Bottom line: We still don’t know whether chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine is effective at improving COVID-19 symptoms.
That uncertainty, as well as the drugs’ adverse heart effects and the potential for doctors to stockpile it, is why public health officials have urged caution. There are no Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to treat COVID-19, although the agency has issued an emergency authorization for the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in hospitals...
Of course, none of this raises questions about mandating COVID vaccines - right?
(You all may commence the excuses about how they "didn't do it right," or whatever.)
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