Forum Thread

AstraZeneca's Hiccup is Pfizer's and Moderna's Gain


Reply to ThreadDisplaying 3 Posts
  • Are you sure you want to delete this post?
        

    AstraZeneca couldn't have done things worse if they tried when it comes to the rollout of their COVID-19 vaccine, committing one of the biggest no-noes a pharmaceutical company can do: misrepresenting and omitting potential irregularities by combining two entirely different groups of participants in their initial efficacy findings.

    One group of vaccine trial participants received a full dose of their vaccine for each of their two injections while another group received a half dose for their first injection and a full dose for their second. The former group had an efficacy of 62% while the latter had an efficacy of 90%.

    The problem? AstraZeneca didn't inform regulators of their testing strategy. The bigger problem? AstraZeneca never intended to give anyone a half dose at all, which means the testing regimen that was most effective was never meant to happen in the first place. Not surprisingly, the FDA has put the brakes on Emergency Use Authorization of this vaccine and it's unlikely to be distributed in the US until February 2021 at the earliest.

    What does this mean for Pfizer and Moderna? It means they will be the only two manufactures of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States for the foreseeable future. Pfizer's vaccine is already being distributed throughout the country and Modern's is awaiting final FDA approval after top staff at the agency recommended its approval, which is the next to last step in the approval process.

    I truly find it astounding that a top BioTech company like AstraZeneca, with the help of Oxford, one of the top Universities in the world, messed up so bad. What in the world were they thinking? Unfortunately for them, their loss is going to be Pfizer's and Moderna's gain.

  • Are you sure you want to delete this post?
        
    CasJadia Wrote: I truly find it astounding that a top BioTech company like AstraZeneca, with the help of Oxford, one of the top Universities in the world, messed up so bad. What in the world were they thinking? Unfortunately for them, their loss is going to be Pfizer's and Moderna's gain.
    Yea, this is one heck of a mess they have found themselves in. I'm sure they will eventually gain FDA approval, but not nearly as quickly as they had originally hoped.
  • Are you sure you want to delete this post?
        
    My question is why did they think that strategy would work?