Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Who's Next In America's Vaccine Lineup? Perhaps Novavax
The New York Times: After A Rocky Start, Novavax Vaccine Could Be Here By Summer
The potential success of Novavax’s candidate carries global implications. Unlike Pfizer’s and Moderna’s shots, the Novavax vaccine can be stored and shipped at normal refrigeration temperatures. The company is setting up plants around the world to produce up to 2 billion doses per year. ... Novavax has signed up more than 20,000 people so far in its late-stage trial in the United States and Mexico, two-thirds of its goal of 30,000 participants. If it keeps enrolling volunteers at the same pace, it will complete recruitment more quickly than the Pfizer and Moderna trials did last year. (Thomas, 2/3)
In news from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna —
Fox News: Johnson & Johnson Exec On Single-Shot Vaccine: 'Complete Protection Against Death And Hospitalization'
Johnson & Johnson executive Dr. Paul Stoffels addressed the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine compared to others already available to the public, saying it had revealed "complete protection against death and hospitalization." "We have done this study in the height of the pandemic with huge transmission in the presence of several different variants," the chief scientific officer told "America’s Newsroom," citing the variants in Brazil, South America and South Africa. "What we learned is that the high percent efficacy against severe disease as well as complete protection against death and hospitalization was basically the key finding," he added. (Kaplan, 2/3)
The Washington Post: Pfizer Spent Months Working To Extract Sixth Dose From Vials As Vaccine Production Shortfalls Loomed
Beginning in August, a half-dozen researchers at a Pfizer lab in Massachusetts sat down with vials of experimental coronavirus vaccine to learn how to transform the “overfill” in every vial — an extra amount of liquid that is standard for injectable pharmaceuticals — into a precious sixth dose. Over the next few months, they tested dozens of different combinations of syringes and needles, drawing out vaccine and squirting it into a beaker resting on a digital scale, repeating the experiments 5 to 10 times for each. By Jan. 6, the work paid off. (Rowland, 2/3)
Stat: With A Single Number, AstraZeneca Study Fueled Hopes That Eclipsed Data
A new paper released this week suggested that a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University not only protected clinical trial participants from developing disease, but also may significantly reduce transmission of the virus that causes the disease. In the recent burst of data on Covid-19 vaccines, that suggestion stood out. The question of whether Covid-19 vaccines reduce transmission has been a critical and unanswered one, creating uncertainty over whether people who have been vaccinated will still be able to be infected by and transmit onward SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid, to those who have not yet been vaccinated. (Herper and Branswell, 2/3)
Stat: Comparing Three Covid-19 Vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, J&J
In an ideal world, a pandemic vaccine could be delivered in a single shot, so supplies could be stretched to cover a lot of people. It would trigger no side effect more significant than a sore arm. And it would be easy to ship and store. Soon, it seems, this ideal of a Covid-19 vaccine will be within reach. (Branswell, 2/2)
