Your point is very well taken, and I was more being a smart-Alec than seriously accusing pharma companies of anything.
Figured that, the info was for all comers as some (myself included to some degree) don't trust Pharma.
Three studies all yield one conclusion. Vaccines work, and they may work for a very, very long time. It very much continues to appear that for those under 65 and who are not immuno-suppressed that no booster shot is likely to be necessary. Three Studies, One Result: Vaccines Point the Way Out of the Pandemic
what I don't understand is why this wasn't one of the first drugs tested instead of hydroxy and some of the others that completed stage 3 trials long ago
Some Vaccinated People Are Dying of Covid-19. Here's Why Scientists Aren't Surprised. (msn.com) LONDON—As the Delta variant of the coronavirus surges through the U.K., almost half of the country’s recent Covid-19 deaths are of people who have been vaccinated. But doctors and scientists aren’t sounding the alarm about the apparently high proportion of deaths among the vaccinated population. Data from Public Health England show that there were 117 deaths among 92,000 Delta cases logged through June 21. Fifty of those—46%—had received two shots of vaccine. First, vaccines aren’t 100% effective. Not everyone who is inoculated will respond in the same way. Those who are elderly or whose immune systems are faulty, damaged or stressed by some other illness are less likely to mount a robust response than someone younger and fitter. Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective but some people will still be vulnerable to the virus even after receiving their shots. Second, the risk of dying from Covid-19 increases steeply with age. If a vaccine reduces an 80-year-old’s risk of death from Covid-19 by 95%, for instance, that 80-year-old’s risk of death might still be greater than the risk faced by an unvaccinated 20-year-old. Some chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and lung disease are also associated with a higher risk of severe illness and death. Third, as more of the population gets vaccinated, there are fewer unvaccinated people for the virus to infect. If the pool of vaccinated people is larger than the pool of unvaccinated people, then it is possible and even likely that breakthrough infections resulting in death in the older, vaccinated group would match or exceed deaths in the younger, unvaccinated group. Consider an imaginary country with 100% of people vaccinated, where the virus can still somehow spread. All Covid-19 deaths would be in vaccinated individuals. Like I've state all along those with underlying conditions or the elderly need to be the ones taking extra precautions. I wonder why they don't include those who already had Covid in these same studies
Johnson and Johnson vaccine performs very well at neutralizing the Delta Variant in small sample size lab experiements. Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Protects Against Delta Variant Of COVID, Study Finds
Germany becomes the first country to recommend mixing vaccine types for more robust antibody response. Angela Merkel made herself a guinea pig for the study by taking the Moderna shot 4 weeks following her first dose of the Astra Zeneca vaccine. Germany issues world's strongest recommendation for mixing Covid-19 vaccines - CNN
I get having some skepticism but I'm curious, do you mean you don't trust pharma at all? Are you some kind of alternative medicine PA? I kid
Just speculation but my guess is that one of the reason that Hydroxychloroquine was tested very early on was because the former president was promoting the drug as cure for Covid-19.
Actually, this drug was under investigation since early spring by Ridgeback and the NIH, however, there was a halt/delay when Merck announced its intention to partner with Ridgeback and obtain the exclusive global rights to distributing this drug. This triggered and automatic delay while the deal was scrutinized by the FTC. However, because of the need to develop therapeutics, the FTC granted early termination of the waiting period both companies ordinarily would have had to sit through wait for others to challenge the tie up. This still delayed trials by a few months. Hydroxychloroquine, on the other hand a is a cheap, readily available medication that is considered to be an immunomodulator. It was natural to assume/hope that this drug would be beneficial. It is not like the the NIH, FDA and CDC are working serially with only 1 drug/company at a time. Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Israeli study shows that the Pfizer Vaccine has diminished protection from infection, likely as a result of the wide spread Delta variant. However, the study also showed that the vaccine remained 93+% effective against severe disease and hospitalization (also slightly down from 3 months ago). The Israeli health ministry is evaluating a 3rd Pfizer shot. Israeli study finds Pfizer vaccine only 64 percent effective against Delta variant
Ocugen scores approximately 78% efficacy over all and 93% efficacy against severe disease with their inactivated virus based vaccine candidate. They are looking gain full approval....not an EUA, but full approval in the United States. Ocugen climbs on phase 3 COVID vaccine data, hitting back at delta variant
I trust some Pharma, but also know they are driven by the bottom line.... Having seen the lowering of "normal" ranges for Blood sugar and LDL over the years gives me some pause(an easy way to increase the customer base).
FDA to add warning to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine sighting ~ 100 cases of Guillain-Bare Syndrome in the nearly 12.8M people vaccinated to date. Most cases are in men over 50 and 1 person of the 100 died. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/12/johnson-and-johnson-warning/
This is lower % than naturally occurring Guillain-Barré Syndrome | Campylobacter | CDC 1 in 100k How common is GBS? GBS is rare, affecting only about 1 in 100,000 people. An estimated 3,000-6,000 people develop GBS each year in the United States.
Indeed. Creates a funky problem when one's mind starts thinking whether x med is more about $ or health, as your example demonstrates.
Your Chance of Dying from COVID19: The Official Facts™ (According to the UK Govt) – Thuletide (wordpress.com) To put this into perspective, using death probability statistics from America… [2.4% COVID Risk Age 80+] 1.1% chance of dying by suicide 1% chance of dying of an opioid overdose 0.9% chance of tripping over and dying 0.9% chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash [0.6% COVID Risk Age 70-79] 0.3% chance of dying in a gun-crime shooting [0.07% COVID Risk Age 50-59] 0.06% chance of dying in a fire 0.04% chance of choking to death [0.02% COVID Risk Age 40-49] 0.01% chance of dying of sunstroke 0.01% chance of dying in an accidental gun discharge [0.007% COVID Risk Age 30-49] 0.007% chance of dying due to electrocution, radiation, extreme temperatures, and pressure [0.002% COVID Risk Age 20-29] 0.001% chance of dying in a cataclysmic storm 0.001% chance of being mauled to death by a dog 0.001% chance of being stung to death by wasps and bees [0.0005% COVID Risk Age 10-19] 0.0007% chance of being killed by lightning [0.0001% COVID Risk Age 5-9]