Posted on 11/30/2021 5:07:27 AM PST by blam
After spending yesterday doing interviews with practically every major American news organization, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel on Tuesday tanked shares in his own company after telling Britain’s premier financial newspaper that he expects vaccines will “struggle” to stop the omicron variant.
Existing jabs will be less effective at tackling omicron than earlier strains of COVID, and it may take months before pharmaceutical companies can manufacture new variant-specific jabs at scale, Bancel warned in an interview with the FT.
The CEO predicted a “material drop” in the current jabs’ efficacy at fighting omicron.
Given the large number of mutations in omicron’s spike protein (which is critical to the virus’s ability to infect human cells), along with the “rapid spread” of the new variant in South Africa, Bancel believes the current crop of vaccines will need to be modified by next year.
Bancel told the FT that “there is no world where [the effectiveness] is the same level…we had with Delta,” during an interview at Moderna’s headquarters. Most experts believed such a highly mutated variant wouldn’t emerge for another year or two, Bancel added.
Some might ask themselves why Bancel seems so eager to raise doubts about his own product. Keep in mind: public service isn’t a factor here. Omicron is a blessing for Moderna and Pfizer, because ultimately it will enable them to sell more jabs.
The current crop of vaccines (including Moderna’s) focuses on the spike protein, which is why the large number of mutations seen in omicron could render the jabs ineffective at stopping it, even for patients who have received both the vaccine and the booster.
More data detailing whether omicron causes severe disease in vaccinated patients are expected to be released within the next two weeks, Bancel added. Once they have the new data, Moderna expects to have the next batch of vaccines ready in a matter of months.
It’s worth noting that Bancel wasn’t the only Moderna executive to reiterate concerns about omicron. Co-founder Noubar Afeyan told Bloomberg that the many mutations seen in omicron suggests new vaccines will be needed. “The number of mutations on this virus are surprising,” Afeyan said.
But it’s not just vaccines that may need to be reformulated.
WSJ reported on preliminary data Tuesday which appear to show that antibody cocktails from Regeneron and Eli Lilly might also need to be modified to ensure they’re able to defend against the new strains.
These findings are the result of the race to assess the impact of the new variant on COVID treatments that patients, doctors and hospitals have already been relying on. We’re also waiting to hear more about the pills being developed by Merck, Pfizer and others – these pills promise to keep patients at risk of severe COVID out of the hospital. It appears the deciding factor will be whether the drugs target the spike protein, which is the locus of the new variant’s mutations.
For those who are unfamiliar, monoclonal antibodies are lab-made molecules derived from survivors of COVID or mice engineered to have human immune systems. When given soon after infection, the drugs attach to the surface of the coronavirus and prevent it from replicating itself in new cells. The drugs differ from vaccines in this way: vaccines train the immune system how to protect against the virus. Regeneron says it will be able to quantify the impact of the variant in the coming weeks until further testing is done.
While these reports are new, none of this information is particularly surprising. Bancel has been pounding the alarm for the last week, and the preliminary results reported by WSJ appear to confirm scientists’ fears that some of the treatments developed to combat COVID might be less effective. But the WSJ report doesn’t tell us anything new about Merck’s molnupiravir or Pfizer’s as-yet-unnamed oral COVID treatment.
At any rate, after riding a wave of optimism higher on Monday, US equity futures pointed to a steep drop at the open on Tuesday, the latest sign that investors are still eager to hear more from the scientific community about omicron’s ability, or inability, to surpass vaccines and drugs.
I don’t know why they would suddenly freak out. They didn’t work for the older versions either
Somebody better tell Greece. Scroll down for what Greece is going to do to citizens 60 and up...
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/1130/1263963-europe-covid/
€100 per month fine fir the unvaxxed.
Bump
Risk Cracks After Moderna CEO Comments Spark Global Stock Rout
The vaccines reduced the more severe symptoms from the original virus.
The vaccines were less effective on the mutations.
The only path is to develop herd immunity while improving treatment for the most vulnerable.
I find it amazing that there is no focus on blood with natural immunity being used for the vulnerable.
Meanwhile Biden just said the answer to Omicron is boosters of the existing vaccines.
While the vaccine maker says it won’t work.
Wow I’m so glad we don’t have Trump, who just said it when something doesn’t work. Don’t need no truth. /s
>>”Greeks over the age of 60 who have not been vaccinated must, by 16 January, book an appointment for their first dose, or else they will face a €100 administrative fine every month,”
Just keep booking appointments
“I don’t know why they would suddenly freak out. “
They are freaking out because they know the public knows the vaccine did not work on Delta now. They cannot convince the public to get the vaccine now. The public does not fear Covid anymore, they lost control.
The stock market deals with uncertainty. Joe Biden has been a very negative influence with his incompetence and continued degeneration occurring right before our eyes. IMHO the market will bottom out at 26,000. Another 8,000 points.
Omicron might be the cure.
Neat idea, but I don’t think that will work for long...
Though per the above link, there’s no enforcement mechanism announced yet...
So the target of the moderna/pfizer/others is the spike protein - the idea being that if the immune system shuts down production of the internal replication structure, the virus should not be able to replicate and get the host sick.
If the spike protein has changed drastically enough, then reinfection of a person who is vaccinated or had previous natural immunity is likely.
To me, the question is simply this: have the mutations been significant enough to cause the aforementioned issue?
Omicron is the Dems and leftists attempt worldwide to stop inflation.
Ding ding ding
If the spike protein has changed drastically enough, then reinfection of a person who is vaccinated or had previous natural immunity is likely.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There’s a BIG difference between shot “protection” (not immunity) and “natural” immunity, meaning you got COVID and recovered from it & you’ve had no shots.
The shots point your immune system very narrowly at the spike protein (while suppressing your innate God-given immune system, BTW). Thus, if the spike mutates, you are right - both the shot protection & the immune system that is narrowly pointed, miss the spike ... thus variants develop, people get sick, etc.
The “natural” immune system recognizes the WHOLE virus, not just the spike. There are many parts of the virus, in addition to the spike & once you have COVID, your immune system sees it all and will act against it. This is why natural immunity is better than the shots ... if the spike mutates, there is still a lot there to recognize, thus it appears to work against the variants.
Just as a word of caution..if you have the more severe mthfr mutation you might want to review what vaccines you get. Yes..drs will tell you it makes no difference but i dontt believe them.
I have the less severe mutation and had a bad reaction to a vaccine. I believe it was my certain combo of genetic freaks that caused it.....
Authorities said they would impose a €100 fine on every individual over the age of 60 who was not vaccinated.
The measure would apply each month from 16 January onwards.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he struggled with the decision, but it was necessary to protect more than half a million elderly Greeks who had failed to get the jab.
“Its the price to pay for health,” he said.
—
It’s the old “we have to burn down the village to save it”.
Evil under the guise of “it’s for your own good”.
Half of the world population is so stupid that they prefer to be lied to and take an injection, rather than risk Xi Omicron and being tired for a day or two.
Wouldn’t that be the antibody therapy that bite me tried to limit in Florida?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.