thenerdhead (u/thenerdhead)

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

insane_dreamer · 21 days ago

> Which after 5 years we have better science supporting how to combat them long term.

bird flu, not sure; but as for covid no other method has anywhere near the large scale data supporting it since mRNA was the only one deployed to millions. Do I don't really agree that we have "better science" that shows other methods are more effective.

thenerdhead · 20 days ago

Have you heard of Novavax or any of the intranasal vaccines in late trials?

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

insane_dreamer · 21 days ago

Not against researching other candidates as well. But mRNA has a proven track record and extending it to other diseases is a promising track.

You can fund research in those other areas without cutting mRNA. Sure it'll cost more $ but there's plenty of that - ffs we're spending $150 billion _more_ on "border security".

thenerdhead · 21 days ago

Yes and those are being funded well. Look at HIV and cancer mRNA breakthroughs. Those aren’t being cut.

This is specifically about COVID-19 and flu. Which after 5 years we have better science supporting how to combat them long term.

I think a lot of people miss that nuance because of who the message is coming from.

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

fzeroracer · 21 days ago

So you trust RFK Jr at his word then when he lies right to your face? Because even if you honestly believe there are better long term candidates in the pipeline you would have to be immensely disingenuous to believe anything he says.

thenerdhead · 21 days ago

There are legitimate scientific efforts underway to explore next-gen vaccine platforms like mucosal and T-cell-based strategies.

That shift is happening regardless of what RFK Jr. says or doesn’t say. Let’s separate the messenger from the actual science for a moment.

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

WillPostForFood · 21 days ago

curing some of the viruses that cause the common cold entirely.

This was this kind of crazy hype from back in 2021/2022 that has helped fuel the backlash against MRNA vaccines. There has been nothing happening on the common cold virus with MRNA vaccines. In retrospect, it seems like CEOs pumping the stock price with wild promises.

thenerdhead · 21 days ago

> There has been nothing happening on the common cold virus with MRNA vaccines. In retrospect, it seems like CEOs pumping the stock price with wild promises.

So not true. There are numerous candidates for pan-flu and pan-coronavirus vaccines. mRNA and other vehicles.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/clinical-trial...

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

IgorPartola · 21 days ago

I don’t really see where and how this is more promising than mRNA. My (very cursory) understanding was also that mRNA based vaccines can go far beyond just COVID and into all manner of promising options such as curing some of the viruses that cause the common cold entirely.

thenerdhead · 21 days ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=thenerdhead#44805721

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

beepbopboopp · 21 days ago

Yea, no.

If there are indeed better candidates why not compare the results of those candidates in field? Backing a hope versus a working solution with all your chips means that even if these end up being better the decision was still deeply wrong and we got lucky. Just abysmal risk mismangement.

thenerdhead · 21 days ago

Look, it’s not that BARDA is throwing science out the window in favor of some wishful thinking. It’s that they’re looking beyond what works now and toward what might work better, not just for today’s virus, but for the ones waiting in the wings.

Oral vaccines, nasal sprays, multi-antigen, multi-receptor approaches, these aren’t just buzzwords. They aim at mucosal immunity, they aim at T-cells, they aim at the places our current tools often miss. And when you learn that SARS-CoV-2 can persist in the body long after the sniffles are gone(i.e. Long COVID/MIS-C), you realize we need more than just antibodies.

thenerdhead commented on HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-wi... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

thenerdhead · 21 days ago

It’s tough to get a clear picture, but if you’ve been following the research closely, it’s obvious that there are better long-term candidates in the pipeline.

Project Next-Gen is highly data-driven, and the most promising candidates are rising to the top as some are already near Phase 3.

Redirecting funding toward these options isn’t as drastic as it may seem. In fact, it makes sense if we want the best outcomes.

https://medicalcountermeasures.gov/nextgen

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/79/1/115/7607231

thenerdhead commented on Paxlovid: You'd have expected more science.org/content/blog-... · Posted by u/helloworld

jerlam · 6 months ago

The Paxlovid dosing guidelines probably need to be changed, but given the current climate and cost it's unlikely to ever happen.

Similarly, the initial two-shot vaccine guidelines probably needed more time in between the doses for more effectiveness, but that's what was tested so that's the official recommendation.

thenerdhead · 6 months ago

agreed on changing guidelines, disagree its unlikely to happen.

the study is done and just needs to be formally published. then recommendations can "officially" change although the science has been clear about this for quite some time now with this specific drug.

other antivirals dont have this problem because they are actually effective for 10+ days even if you take it for 5 days (Ensitrelvir).

there's countless candidates in the pipeline as well for vaccines, antivirals, and monoclonal antibodies. as they keep getting better, the guidelines will shift slowly but surely.

i personally wish we did this with more urgency.

thenerdhead commented on Paxlovid: You'd have expected more science.org/content/blog-... · Posted by u/helloworld

sunshinesnacks · 6 months ago

In the Pipeline is an “editorially independent blog,” [1] so I’m not sure that it’s fair to criticize Science or Derek Lowe for the “reporting.”

I’m a big fan of Derek’s blog. And I think his comments about long COVID at the end of the post are enough to convince me to ask for Paxlovid if/when I get COVID again (I’ve taken Paxlovid before).

[1] https://www.science.org/blogs/pipeline

thenerdhead · 6 months ago

I am criticizing two things.

1. Science magazine's association with his recurring "editorially independent blog". I've been a subscriber for many years and have never enjoyed it personally.

2. His opinion on this topic in general. The drug lived up to the hype even beating some international antivirals on efficacy terms.

Today's science is a bit further ahead still. For example, Pfizer will publish acute 10d data soon? which already has preliminary data showing faster symptom resolution and less rebound.

NIH/Yale/Karolinska will publish their 25d/15d/15d Long COVID Paxlovid studies to see what phenotypes may benefit from extended durations.

And next gen Paxlovid is already on an accelerated approval path and showed great results at IDWeek. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06679140#study-plan

It is odd to me because he even wrote a piece about the next gen Paxlovid? Why didn't he reference it! It's in phase 3... https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/next-paxlovid