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EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

reuters.com

51–60 of 209 posts

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

You must be delusional. What's preventing you from being vaccinated is the scarcity of vaccines, and those being allocated to the people that need them most, instead of those that pay the most. If they were sold on the free market the price would rise rapidly above the current price, as demand outnumbers supply by at least an order of magnitude.

Western 'Free markets' are not free at all, and the sale of these vaccines could be regulated to a fixed price.

In the meantime, the state has taken a monopoly on the distribution of these vaccines and has even stopped administering them, so while they are available, they are locked away.

I predict for later this year, we will see news reports of batches of vaccines being safely disposed of ( destroyed ).

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#52

Good. But at the same time it should be possible to buy through private channels. So we can circumvent and get rid of the terribly inefficient bureaucrats.

I think it's impossible to have a pro-choice viewpoint in discussion websites. People get too nervous and defensive.

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't appear to be the case, even if you limit it to "enough for rich countries". Pfizer is predicting that they will be able to produce 250 million doses month by the end of the year, so I guess they are getting there (depending on how long a period is acceptable).

Source? Moderna (another mRNA vaccine) alone is estimating it will produce between 600M and 1B vaccines in 2021 already: https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/... Curevac is on track to apply for authorization for another mRNA vaccine in Q2: https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2021/03/22/CureVa... It's not out of the question that the EU will be able to supply itself entirely with mRNA (o…

Just search for Pfizer 3 billion (that's the annual rate they expect to be at by the end of the year).

The population you want to cover and how long it is allowed to take are both factors in whether production is a limit, so there isn't really one answer as to whether production rate is a factor.

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#54
post #46

Seems like mRNA vaccines is winning the the race against other emerging technology like viral vector. If we manage to figure out the nanolipids to live in better temperature conditions, mRNA will change our generation.

Seems incredible now the University of Pennsylvania told the inventor mRNA that their contributions weren't worthwhile and let them go. https://billypenn.com/2020/12/29/university-pennsylvania-cov... And now on social media they've done a full 180 and are acting as if it were their contribution to the world when the reality is quite different.

As I see it, the issue isn't with the University of Pennsylvania but with academia. Publish or perish. Get consistent grants or find a new job. The system isn't geared to promoting long term risky endeavors.

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#55
Seems short sighted to me given we don't know efficacy against the variants. If I were in the contractual chair I'd keep all my options on the table, we aren't out of this yet.

assuming this is true, as opposed to some kind of way to leverage better terms out of a deal

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are in Europe. You can go to your family doctor and ask for a flu shot even if you are young and don't get it recommended by default. Same as you can go to your doctor and ask for lots of other vaccines because you want to travel abroad for instance. I paid for many vaccines in private in Austria in order to travel to certain countries. Don't see why I shouldn't be able to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine the same way…

Ah, sure. But the produceris selling to the doctor who is then administering the shot to you. Quite different from you buying the shot for yourself. Without an ordonance from a doctor you wont get a vaccine.

Every year I go to the pharmacy and buy a flu vaccine. I can then get the shot in a way convenient for me.

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#57
post #55

Seems short sighted to me given we don't know efficacy against the variants. If I were in the contractual chair I'd keep all my options on the table, we aren't out of this yet. assuming this is true, as opposed to some kind of way to leverage better terms out of a deal

The EU was slow off the mark when it came to ordering vaccines and as a result it did not get priority for deliveries. The EU can't change that now, but it can send the manufacturers a message warning of the dangers of not showing fealty.

Perhaps I'm cynical, but I do wonder if this decision is more politics than science.

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#58
post #36

Probably every drug has risks, many higher than the 1:1,000,000 reported for AZ/J&J. It's always a balance between the risk untreated vs. treated - many cancer drugs will kill you, but slower than they kill the cancer. Contraceptives have various issues, but their "social good" is deemed worthwhile. I've read that they are doing gene analysis to try and determine why these cases appear - is it gender, age, cross-reac…

Long Covid is mostly self reported vague symptoms, namely fatigue and brain fog. It's what happens when you stay at home too much and don't get enough exercise and have a poor diet. Isolation? The Covid 15* that many of us packed on? You will feel worse and especially more fatigued, no doubt.

Not to mention being constantly immersed in an environment of fear. It's a misattribution to associate side effects of weight gain, isolation, depression with the Covid illness.

* https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-covid-15-if-only-this-...

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#59
post #36

Probably every drug has risks, many higher than the 1:1,000,000 reported for AZ/J&J. It's always a balance between the risk untreated vs. treated - many cancer drugs will kill you, but slower than they kill the cancer. Contraceptives have various issues, but their "social good" is deemed worthwhile. I've read that they are doing gene analysis to try and determine why these cases appear - is it gender, age, cross-reac…

Long Covid is mostly self reported vague symptoms, namely fatigue and brain fog. It's what happens when you stay at home too much and don't get enough exercise and have a poor diet. Isolation? The Covid 15* that many of us packed on? You will feel worse and especially more fatigued, no doubt. Not to mention being constantly immersed in an environment of fear. It's a misattribution to associate side effects of weight…

That's an awfully simple interpretation to post without linking to at least one study or professional analysis.

Re: EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry

#60
post #36

Probably every drug has risks, many higher than the 1:1,000,000 reported for AZ/J&J. It's always a balance between the risk untreated vs. treated - many cancer drugs will kill you, but slower than they kill the cancer. Contraceptives have various issues, but their "social good" is deemed worthwhile. I've read that they are doing gene analysis to try and determine why these cases appear - is it gender, age, cross-reac…

Long Covid is mostly self reported vague symptoms, namely fatigue and brain fog. It's what happens when you stay at home too much and don't get enough exercise and have a poor diet. Isolation? The Covid 15* that many of us packed on? You will feel worse and especially more fatigued, no doubt. Not to mention being constantly immersed in an environment of fear. It's a misattribution to associate side effects of weight…

That's some pretty impressive remote diagnostic capability you have there, have you thought about a career in telemedicine? (Update: This snarky comment is in response to a much more hostile parent comment that has since been changed.)

> It's what happens when you stay at home too much and don't get enough exercise and have a poor diet

While both are risk factors for a wide range of illnesses, last time I checked, neither of those cause lung damage visible on a chest x-ray.

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