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And from what I understand, mRNA vaccine technology was languishing before the urgency of Covid put their development into overdrive.

origin_path 4y ago
It wasn't languishing, that word implies people knew about it but weren't paying attention or trying to make it work. mRNA based drugs hadn't launched because repeat dosings created serious side effects, as the body seemed to start reacting to the lipid capsule. From an article in 2017: https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/10/moderna-trouble-mrna/ https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/10/moderna-trouble-mrna/ "for its chemists, those [lipid] nanoparticles created a daunting challenge: Dose too little, and you don’t get enough enzyme to affect the disease; dose too much, and the drug is too toxic for patients." "the Crigler-Najjar treatment has been indefinitely delayed, an Alexion spokeswoman told STAT. It never proved safe enough to test in humans, according to several former Moderna employees and collaborators who worked closely on the project. Unable to press forward with that technology, Moderna has had to focus instead on developing a handful of vaccines" Note the following paragraphs: "mRNA is a tricky technology. Several major pharmaceutical companies have tried and abandoned the idea, struggling to get mRNA into cells without triggering nasty side effects [snip] The indefinite delay on the Crigler-Najjar project signals persistent and troubling safety concerns for any mRNA treatment that needs to be delivered in multiple doses, covering almost everything that isn’t a vaccine" In 2017 mRNA was considered "tricky" and with "nasty side effects". It was considered safe for vaccines by Moderna only because, they claimed, vaccines don't require repeat doses. This is surprising given that some countries now want to make mRNA vaccination a regular yearly event. The reason they didn't focus on vaccines originally is related to that belief - vaccines are traditionally something you take once and are then protected for decades or for life. They are cheap and often bought by governments that demand bulk discounts, thus they are poor business compared to drugs that may require you to take them every week.
- hahaitsfunny 4y ago

origin_path 4y ago

It wasn't languishing, that word implies people knew about it but weren't paying attention or trying to make it work. mRNA based drugs hadn't launched because repeat dosings created serious side effects, as the body seemed to start reacting to the lipid capsule. From an article in 2017: https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/10/moderna-trouble-mrna/ https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/10/moderna-trouble-mrna/ "for its chemists, those [lipid] nanoparticles created a daunting challenge: Dose too little, and you don’t get enough enzyme to affect the disease; dose too much, and the drug is too toxic for patients." "the Crigler-Najjar treatment has been indefinitely delayed, an Alexion spokeswoman told STAT. It never proved safe enough to test in humans, according to several former Moderna employees and collaborators who worked closely on the project. Unable to press forward with that technology, Moderna has had to focus instead on developing a handful of vaccines" Note the following paragraphs: "mRNA is a tricky technology. Several major pharmaceutical companies have tried and abandoned the idea, struggling to get mRNA into cells without triggering nasty side effects [snip] The indefinite delay on the Crigler-Najjar project signals persistent and troubling safety concerns for any mRNA treatment that needs to be delivered in multiple doses, covering almost everything that isn’t a vaccine" In 2017 mRNA was considered "tricky" and with "nasty side effects". It was considered safe for vaccines by Moderna only because, they claimed, vaccines don't require repeat doses. This is surprising given that some countries now want to make mRNA vaccination a regular yearly event. The reason they didn't focus on vaccines originally is related to that belief - vaccines are traditionally something you take once and are then protected for decades or for life. They are cheap and often bought by governments that demand bulk discounts, thus they are poor business compared to drugs that may require you to take them every week.

hahaitsfunny 4y ago