COVID-19 vaccine development pipeline gears up

[FrankPintor]

Without wanting to go too far off topic please see links below to get an idea of how many dollars the government is pouring into Tango 01 and its state airline, two "small" examples of "luxury" items where dollars are being spent. Note that a commercial 757 has an hourly opex of around US$8,000-10,000 per hour plus about US$1m in annual maintenance plus other overheads - VIP operations are even more expensive due to lack of scale, various layers of protocols and security.

https://www.infobae.com/politica/20...lones-pero-recien-estaria-a-mediados-de-2021/ US$12,000,000-US$15,000,000 being spent on refurbishing Tango 01 to get it airborne in mid-2021.

https://simpleflying.com/argentina-state-carrier-investment/ - US$500,000,000 spent in 2020 keeping Aerolineas Argentinas in the air yet the government still does not want to use it and avoid duplication of cost or put some of that resource to more productive use.

In regards to vaccine prices, with Argentina knocking on doors so late in the game after the sh!t hit the fan and seeking urgent delivery in an effort to make good on irresponsible promises already made ... like anything in life, the price is going to end up higher than it could have otherwise been or the results less favorable than what they could have been.

In regards to Sinopharm in Peru, I understand they resumed trials thereafter the unfortunate event and suspension as last week a volunteer (who got the placebo) died. In the end Peru approved it and got it for $26 a dose - first doses scheduled to arrive 13FEB.

Peru to pay $26 million for first shipment of Sinopharm vaccine: minister

Peru will pay $26 million for an initial batch of one million doses of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine, the first part of a broader agreement with the Chinese company to supply 38 million doses, economy minister Waldo Mendoza said on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com

Thanks for the info, interesting reading.

So on the one hand, Sinopharm want $30, I'm assuming doses per person (2 shots), which might be incorrect of course. And the negotiation was for 1 million doses so $30 million, with the possibility of more to come, for a vaccine that's not really out there yet, and may not be necessary given the commitments for the Sputnik and Oxford vaccines. I don't know really, it might be a good "insurance policy" but it doesn't seem necessary.

On the other hand... Tango 1 is there, my feeling is that if it's a Boeing, I'm not going, but I can accept that scrapping a plane with 14,000 flight hours doesn't make too much sense. The risks of commercial flight travel are pointed out in the article you reference:

'De hecho, le tocó compartir un vuelo de Aerolíneas Argentinas con dos narcotraficantes y 64 mil pastillas de éxtasis. “Esta Casa Militar considera que la utilización de líneas aéreas comerciales para el desplazamiento tanto al interior como el exterior del país genera serios riesgos en la seguridad del Presidente”'

There might be better moments to invest in Tango 1 but the damn thing costs $220,000 to park on the runway anyway. I pay taxes here too, but I don't think it's necessary to link the plane to the vaccines.

 

[antipodean]

Thanks for the info, interesting reading.

So on the one hand, Sinopharm want $30, I'm assuming doses per person (2 shots), which might be incorrect of course. And the negotiation was for 1 million doses so $30 million, with the possibility of more to come, for a vaccine that's not really out there yet, and may not be necessary given the commitments for the Sputnik and Oxford vaccines. I don't know really, it might be a good "insurance policy" but it doesn't seem necessary.

On the other hand... Tango 1 is there, my feeling is that if it's a Boeing, I'm not going, but I can accept that scrapping a plane with 14,000 flight hours doesn't make too much sense. The risks of commercial flight travel are pointed out in the article you reference:

'De hecho, le tocó compartir un vuelo de Aerolíneas Argentinas con dos narcotraficantes y 64 mil pastillas de éxtasis. “Esta Casa Militar considera que la utilización de líneas aéreas comerciales para el desplazamiento tanto al interior como el exterior del país genera serios riesgos en la seguridad del Presidente”'

There might be better moments to invest in Tango 1 but the damn thing costs $220,000 to park on the runway anyway. I pay taxes here too, but I don't think it's necessary to link the plane to the vaccines.

Various other heads of states fly commercial, including Mexico's President (a far larger, far richer and far more "risky" country) and they are just fine.
Frankly if we get excuses that we don't have a dollar to spare and the health of Argentine's is priority number one but we can't achieve results due to financial limitations - then I expect a government to show me in actions and not words that health is the priority. There are various other non-aviation examples one can cite as well, and ultimately they are all related to the same problem - having fewer dollars to spend than expenses to pay for, including foreign vaccines that must be paid in dollars.

 

[gracielle]

UK backs CureVac effort to make vaccine for COVID variants

The U.K. government announced Friday that it plans to work with a German biopharmaceutical company to develop vaccines targeting emerging variants of COVID-19 as public health officials call for new tools to keep the virus in check as it mutates.

medicalxpress.com

Not recommending the AstraZeneca vaccine for the elderly risks the lives of the most vulnerable

Regulators in Europe are at odds over whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should be given to the elderly. In the UK, the vaccine has been approved for use in adults aged 18 and up, but France, Germany, Sweden and Austria say the vaccine should be prioritized for those under the age of 65...

medicalxpress.com

 

[gracielle]

UPDATE: 4 February 2021

Vaccine passports: path back to normality or problem in the making?

Governments and developers around the world are exploring the potential use of "vaccine passports" as a way of reopening the economy by identifying those protected against the coronavirus.

www.reuters.com

UPDATE:

W.H.O Plans New Digital Vaccine Certificate For Permission To Travel In 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely looking into Digital Vaccine Certificates to authorize travel in 2021.

www.traveloffpath.com

IMTJ news - LaingBuisson News

The world's leading journal for the medical travel industry providing regular news, articles and updates on medical tourism and health tourism.

www.imtj.com

 

[gracielle]

Merck is the firm that markets the drug....

Merck Statement on Ivermectin use During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Merck.com

KENILWORTH, N.J., Feb. 4, 2021 – Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today affirmed its position regarding use of ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Company scientists continue to carefully examine the findings of all available and emerging studies of...

www.merck.com

4 February 2021.
KENILWORTH, N.J., Feb. 4, 2021 – Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today affirmed its position regarding use of ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Company scientists continue to carefully examine the findings of all available and emerging studies of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 for evidence of efficacy and safety. It is important to note that, to-date, our analysis has identified:

- No scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies;
- No meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and;
- A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.
We do not believe that the data available support the safety and efficacy of ivermectin beyond the doses and populations indicated in the regulatory agency-approved prescribing information....

 

[gracielle]

COVID-19: Gout drug Colchicine cuts hospital stays and need for oxygen therapy, study suggests

A small clinical trial shows coronavirus patients who were given the medication recovered sooner than those given placebo.

news.sky.com

Original research....

Beneficial effects of colchicine for moderate to severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial | RMD Open

rmdopen.bmj.com

 

[gracielle]

The Coronavirus Is a Master of Mixing Its Genome, Worrying Scientists (Published 2021)

New studies underscore how coronaviruses frequently mix their genetic components — which could contribute to the rise of dangerous variants.

www.nytimes.com

 

[gracielle]

El fabricante chino Sinovac afirmó que su vacuna contra el coronavirus tiene una alta eficacia después de que Brasil dijera que es del 50,38%

El presidente de la compañía, Yin Weidong, sostuvo que los ensayos habían encontrado que era 100% eficaz para prevenir casos graves y que la empresa estaba ampliando su capacidad de producción para satisfacer la demanda nacional y extranjera

www.infobae.com

13 January 2021
Chinese manufacturer Sinovac claimed its coronavirus vaccine has high efficacy after Brazil said it is 50.38%.
The company's president, Yin Weidong, said that trials had found it to be 100% effective in preventing serious cases and that the company was expanding its production capacity to meet domestic and foreign demand...."These data (from Brazil) show that the vaccines have good efficacy and safety in all phase 3 clinical trials," Yin said. And he added: "We have accelerated the increase in production capacity."....This was the company's first reaction after its Brazilian partner Butantan published data on Tuesday showing an efficiency rate of 50.38%, just barely exceeding the threshold set by most regulators and well below the recommended 70%. by the World Health Organization....

UPDATE: 6 February 2021

China approves Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for general public use

Sinovac Biotech said on Saturday that its unit's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use by the general public by China's medical products regulator.

www.reuters.com

 

[gracielle]

Ante la escasez de vacunas, ¿Argentina debería vacunar últimos y con una sola dosis a quienes ya tuvieron coronavirus?

Se abre un dilema sobre cómo organizar las prioridades. Qué dicen los expertos. Qué pasa en otros países. A qué se llama "vacunación sucia".

www.clarin.com

6 February 2021....by Emilia Vexler
Given the shortage of vaccines, should Argentina vaccinate last and with a single dose to those who already had coronavirus?
A dilemma opens up about how to organize priorities. What the experts say. What happens in other countries. What is called “dirty vaccination”....

 

[gracielle]

Coronavirus en Argentina: qué es y cómo prepararse frente a la segunda ola | La perspectiva de los especialistas Martín Hojman y Ernesto Resnik

El descenso de las temperaturas y los encuentros en sitios cerrados, el inicio de las clases y la falta de ventilación, así como el cambio en la percepción del riesgo en la ciudadanía son factores que, hacia marzo y abril, podrían contribuir al aumento...

www.pagina12.com.ar

7 February 2021....by Pablo Esteban
The perspective of specialists Martín Hojman and Ernesto Resnik. Coronavirus in Argentina: what is it and how to prepare for the second wave. The drop in temperatures and the encounters in closed places, the beginning of classes and the lack of ventilation, as well as the change in the perception of risk in the public are factors that, towards March and April, could contribute to the increase in cases . New approaches and the role vaccines will play.....

....According to Ernesto Resnik, the Argentine molecular biologist and biotechnologist who resides in the US...."as long as the virus does not go away, there will continue to be waves, with peaks in which people become more infected and immunity increases. What I think you have to understand is that each wave is different from the previous one. As more and more people are already infected, fewer and fewer people are susceptible to the infection ”, highlights Resnik. And concludes: "At the beginning the entire population was susceptible and being a candidate to have the virus, but now the pathogen has less ground to infect."....

....Now we are in another phase of the pandemic: there may be an outbreak in a factory, but we must keep an eye on all our contacts, in our own homes, our friends, our relatives, ”says Resnik. So, under these premises, the second wave in Argentina is a phenomenon that will be difficult to escape because, quite simply, it is the logic of viral circulation that has prevailed in much of the world.

When is the second wave expected in Argentina? Basically, during autumn and winter people stop meeting in open air spaces and what prevails is to get together in closed spaces without ventilation....In December and January we experienced a new escalation in the number of infected that, fortunately, was short, ”says Martín Hojman, doctor at the Rivadavia Hospital and member of the Argentine Society of Infectology (SADI). He continues: "The climate has to do, not directly, but because of what it generates: with cold, ventilation decreases and people tend to be closer and frequent less open places."...."Furthermore, we must not forget the confirmation of the existence of new variants that are already circulating in the country and that are more contagious," says the infectious disease doctor....