Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

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Moderna reported a surprise profit in the fourth quarter of 2024, with earnings of 55 cents a share, a decrease from $3.61 a share in the same quarter a year ago. The company's net income exceeded expectations, despite a decline in sales of its Covid-19 vaccine, Spikevax. Revenue for the quarter was $2.81 billion, down from $5.08 billion in the year-ago quarter, but above projections for $2.51 billion.

The company's Covid-19 vaccine netted $800 million in U.S. sales and another $2 billion in international markets. The quarter also included the recognition of $600 million in deferred revenue related to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an international organization created to improve vaccine access for children in poor countries.

Moderna's cost-cutting efforts and deferred payments contributed to the surprise profit. The company also set out a commercial roadmap for its vaccines in Europe and its experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot. Moderna expects a U.S. approval decision for its RSV vaccine by May 12 and plans to launch the RSV shot in Germany and Australia this year.

Data posted earlier this month showed the RSV vaccine was 63% effective at preventing RSV-related respiratory symptoms after 8.6 months, down from 84% at 3.3 months. Moderna also expects data from late-stage trials of its next generation COVID shot and its cytomegalovirus and COVID-flu combination vaccines this year.

Despite the decrease in earnings and revenue, Moderna reaffirmed its 2024 forecast of $4 billion in sales, the lowest figure for annual revenue since its COVID vaccine got U.S. emergency authorization in late 2020.

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Moderna's Unexpected Q4 Profit TradingView News - TradingView

Population and clinical data

Inclusion criteria were: having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine that was being administered in Sweden during the study period (Comirnaty, Spikevax, Vaxzevria), being diagnosed with a condition or event that was attributed to the vaccine, being 18 years or older at time of recruitment, and having the capability to provide informed consent. Causality assessment for AEFIs were performed according to WHO criteria, as described previously11. The vaccines are detailed as follows: Comirnaty is the proprietary name for the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, also known as BNT162b2. Spikevax is the proprietary name for the Moderna mRNA vaccine, also known as mRNA-1273. Vaxzevria is the proprietary name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca adenoviral-vector vaccine, also known as Covishield, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and AZD1222. Anonymous blood donor (BD) samples had been collected for research use before the COVID-19 pandemic at Uppsala University Hospital. APS1 patient samples were collected as part of an ongoing registry (Swedish Addisons Disease Registry; ethics approval number: 2008/296-31/2).

Basic demographic data, elapsed time from vaccination until AEFI onset, and other clinical characteristics were collected from medical records and standardized questionnaires. Patients were classified according to AEFI diagnoses into the following groups: coagulation, neurological, allergic, cardiac, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), cytopenia, systemic disease, infection, vascular, and other. Exact diagnoses included in each group are detailed in Supplementary Table 1.

Venous blood samples of patients with AEFIs (n=290) were collected into EDTA-containing tubes. All samples were centrifuged to obtain plasma (1500g, 10min, 4C), aliquoted, and sent for storage at 70C. De-identified samples were received at or transferred to the Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology Department of Uppsala University for analyses.

The screening of type I IFN autoantibodies was performed via an established bead-based anti-IgG assay that has been used previously with demonstration of reproducible results13. The large multiplex assay analysis plan was created to examine autoantibodies against 96 designated bead IDs (antigens, including technical controls) in a grand total of 2112 samples. Antibodies against IFN- (IFNA1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 17 and 21), IFN- (IFNB), IFN- (IFNE), IFN- (IFNK), and IFN- (IFNW) were measured in the study population for the specific purpose of the presented hypothesis. As part of the large multiplex assay, all samples underwent measurement of anti-human immunoglobulin G and antibodies against the primary proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including Spike (S protein), receptor binding domain (RBD), and nucleocapsid (N protein). Antibody levels against the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) were also measured to assess the detection reliability and reproducibility of measurements.

Samples (1 ul) were diluted with a 2-step process: 1:25 in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and then a further 1:10 in a solution containing 0.05% Tween-20, 3% BSA and 5% non-fat milk in PBS. Magnetic beads (MagPlex, Luminex Corp.) were coupled with commercially-available type I IFNs (and other proteins examined) at a concentration of 3 ug per 1.5 10^6 beads. For coupling, the AnteoTech Activation Kit for Multiplex Microspheres was used (Catalog code: A-LMPAKMM-10). The diluted samples (250 ul total volume) were incubated with 5l of the bead solution for two hours at room temperature with slight agitation achieved by a shaker set to 650rpm. Following the incubation, beads were magnetized before washing with 0.05% Tween-20 in PBS (3X), and then resuspended in 50 microliters of 0.2% paraformaldehyde for 10min. After another 3X wash process, a 30-min incubation with the secondary antibody (Invitrogen, H10104 lot#2384336) was performed. Measurement was carried out with a FlexMap 3D instrument (Luminex Corp) and results were recorded in AUs.

The initial multiplex screening (bead-based assay, Luminex) results were confirmed via optimized ELISA methods for several IFNs that were selected due to the presence of at least one sample with elevated response in the bead-based screening. That is, ELISA re-analysis was performed for a certain IFN if at least one elevated response had been observed in either the AEFI or the BD group for said IFN (defined as >1500 AUs, based on Bastard et al.14). According to this criterion, we performed confirmatory testing for IFNA2 (number of samples with elevated response = 1), IFNA6 (n=7), IFNA8 (n=2), and IFNK (n=1). For each antigen, the highest 8 samples (including those with elevated response) were included in the analyses (total n=32). Starting sample dilution was 1:10 and was increased based on optimization goals described in the Supplementary Methods (1:20, 1:40, 1:80, 1:100, 1:160, 1:320, 1:1000, 1:2000, 1:5000, 1:10000, 1:20000, 1:25000, 1:50000, and 1:100000). In addition to the tested samples, we included three patients with APS1 as positive controls, one sample known to have high cross-reactivity (or non-specific binding), and three known-negative BDs during the course of each ELISA optimization (Supplementary Fig. 1).

The neutralization properties of equivocal responses (n=4) detected in the multiplex autoantibody assay were analyzed via cell culture experiments modified from previously-reported methods23. The experimental design involved (i) cell plating, (ii) co-transfection with Firefly (type I IFN-stimulable) and Renilla luciferase (constitutive expression) genes, (iii) stimulation with IFNA2 & addition of samples, and (iv) detection via a dual luciferase reporter assay. On day 1, HEK293T cells were seeded at 45000 cells/well in a 96-well plate (clear, flat-bottom, cell culture) with a final volume of 90 ul growth media per well (Gibco DMEM GlutaMAX + 10% fetal bovine serum + 100 units of penicillin-streptomycin). Transfection was performed with the Firefly pGL4.45[luc2P/ISRE/Hygro] and Renilla pRL-SV40 internal control luciferase vectors (Promega; #E414A and #E2231, respectively). The transfection solution was created in OptiMEM media with a 3:1 (ul:ug) ratio between the X-tremeGENE9 transfection reagent (Sigma-Aldrich; 6365787001) and total DNA (inter-vector ratio: 2:1 between Firefly and Renilla). The solution was incubated for 15min and added to the wells (10l). On day 2, following overnight incubation, stimulation was performed with a final concentration of 10ng/ml IFNA2 in wells (MedChemExpress; HY-P7022), except for non-stimulation controls. Immediately after stimulation, plasma samples were added into the wells to create a final plasma dilution of 1:10 in media, except for non-plasma controls. The plasma samples tested for neutralization included APS1 samples, AEFI samples with equivocal positivity (n=4), and BD samples. On day 3, following 24h of incubation, the Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay System (Promega; #E1960) was used for analysis as described by the manufacturer (cell lysis, transfer of lysates to white opaque plates, and measurement with sequential addition of substrate and inhibitory/activating solutions). To perform quantification, we employed a plate reader that had luminescence quantification capabilities with magenta (Firefly) and green (Renilla) filters (Tecan, Magellan). The Firefly:Renilla ratio was used to assess neutralization. Technical controls confirmed experimental success, APS1 samples showed strong neutralization (ratios of <0.050), and BDs showed similar results to non-plasma controlsindicating non-neutralization (Supplementary Fig. 1).

To obtain descriptive data and perform statistical analyses, we utilized the SPSS software (version 25.0; IBM, NY, USA). Continuous data were summarized in the form of meanstandard deviation. Categorical data were summarized with absolute (n) and relative frequency (%). Normality of distribution in continuous variables was checked via evaluation of Q-Q plots or histograms. When required, the lack of normal distribution was confirmed via the Shapiro-Wilk or the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (Lilliefors correction) tests. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare continuous variables among diagnosis subgroups (and the BD group), and post hoc adjustments were performed with the Bonferroni correction. In the comparison of groups formed according to the presence/absence of elevated response (>1500 AUs), analyses for continuous data were performed with the MannWhitney U test and we used appropriate Chi-square tests for categorical data. For data visualization in the form of scatterplots and the heatmap, we respectively used the ggplot2 and pheatmap packages installed on RStudio software (Cherry Blossom release, 2023.03.1-Build 446)24. All code used to analyze data are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding authors. Dimensionality reduction was performed via principal component analysis (PCA) with use of the prcomp and factoextra packages in RStudio. The APS1 group was excluded from PCA. All type I IFN values were standardized with the calculation of Z-scores. Antibody levels for IgG, EBNA1 and SARS-CoV-2-related proteins were not included in the PCA in order to be able to detect the potential effects of IFNs since smaller effects (and subgroups) could have been masked by variables with far greater impact (Supplementary Fig. 3).

Further information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article.

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No link between type I interferon autoantibody positivity and adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines | npj Vaccines - Nature.com

Since 2022, member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have been negotiating a new treaty provisionally termed the Pandemic Agreement. If adopted, it would transform how the world handles pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Opinions differ on what negotiators should prioritize. But no issue has captivated public attention as much as vaccine equity or done more to bring countries to the negotiating table.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists began to design vaccine candidates only a few hours after the first SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence was shared. By the end of 2020, mass vaccination had begun in the United States and Europe. High-income countries promised to share vaccines through the voluntary WHO COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) programme, but failed to meet their commitments. When South Africa and India appealed to the World Trade Organization for an emergency waiver of intellectual-property rights related to COVID-19 vaccines, so that every country could start their own manufacturing, high-income countries blocked the proposal for months. The refusal of wealthier nations to cooperate had cost between 200,000 and 1.3 million lives by the end of 2021 in low- and middle-income countries1,2. Today, nearly one-third of the worlds population has still not received a single dose, and the death toll resulting from vaccine nationalism continues to grow.

Global vaccination must be swifter

The Pandemic Agreement could be the last chance to fix this problem before the next COVID-19 arrives. Yet the proposed solution the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which was outlined in Article 12 of the latest treaty draft still hangs in the balance. The second-to-last session of the treatys Intergovernmental Negotiating Body is now under way. So far, countries have been unable to agree on this part of the text. As time runs out, we urge WHO member states to agree on a science-for-science mechanism that ensures vaccine equity in the next pandemic.

Across all fields, scientists from the global north have frequently extracted data and samples from the global south without the permission of the people there, without collaborating meaningfully if at all with local scientists, and without providing any benefit to the countries where they conduct their work. In 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity recognized parties sovereign rights to their genetic resources. Since 2014, under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, countries have developed their own legislation to ensure that they receive benefits (such as financial compensation or scientific collaboration) when scientists and others from outside the country access their genetic resources.

Discussions on access and benefit-sharing in global health began in earnest in 2007, when the Indonesian government refused to share avian influenza samples with the rest of the world, on the grounds that such samples were often used to make vaccines that were never made available in most places3. Sparked by this conflict and the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic WHO member states developed the 2011 Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework to streamline the sharing of influenza viruses with pandemic potential, as well as vaccines and other benefits.

After the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the World Health Organization designed a plan for global sharing of flu viruses and vaccines. The same must be done for all viruses with pandemic potential.Credit: James Hill/Redux/eyevine

Under the PIP Framework, 14 manufacturers have promised that when the next influenza pandemic starts, they will share up to 10% of the vaccines that they make (around 420 million doses) with the WHO. In exchange, these companies have access to a global network of laboratories and their flu samples. The PIP model shows significant promise, but is so far untested and applies only to influenza.

The proposed PABS System in the Pandemic Agreement would take lessons from the PIP Framework and apply an access and benefit-sharing scheme to any pathogen with pandemic potential, such as SARS-CoV-2. Under the PABS System, scientists would share pathogen samples and data through a global network of laboratories and sequence data repositories. In exchange for access to samples and data, manufacturers of vaccines or therapeutics would give at least 20% of their products to the WHO (half for free, and half at affordable prices). The WHO would then distribute these on the basis of public-health risk and needs. Users of the PABS System would also contribute to a capacity-development fund, and be encouraged to explore other kinds of benefit-sharing, such as scientific collaborations and technology transfer.

With regard to physical samples, the Nagoya Protocol and its national implementing legislation can be cumbersome to navigate4. Some scientists are apprehensive about the idea of introducing similar barriers into work with genetic sequence data, especially during outbreaks.

Global pandemic treaty: nations wrestle with how to fairly share virus data

In relation to the Nagoya Protocol, several professional societies, including the American Society for Microbiology, have endorsed a group of US scientists that opposes any restriction or control of access and/or use of any genetic sequences (see go.nature.com/3i5ds). Comments from sessions indicate that such concerns are increasingly being echoed by representatives of global north countries in the current Pandemic Agreement negotiations. Some critics have even argued that the proposals for PABS would block progress towards open science, in favour of a transactional approach5.

As a collective of 290 scientists from 36 countries, we argue that a pandemic treaty cannot succeed unless it ensures that everyone will benefit from pandemic science.

Under the new treaty, should it be adopted with the current vision of the PABS System, countries will still be expected to ensure that their scientists share lifesaving data openly and rapidly. Scientists will still be able to share their data freely outside of PABS platforms, and widely used databases could enter into the PABS System meaning that most researchers would never experience any disruptions to their workflow. The WHO could also establish its own repository or clearinghouse for genetic sequence data and samples, which would potentially provide scientists with more transparent management of these resources and the guarantee of continued access.

Financing committed largely by pharmaceutical firms using these platforms (which sometimes directly derive profits from publicly funded science) would, in turn, go towards expanding sequencing capacity and scientific research in low-resource settings. It would also help to support other priorities, such as pandemic prevention6. Whats more, scientists everywhere, but especially in the global south, would benefit from a system that creates opportunities for international collaboration and that ensures that people receive credit for sharing their data.

Access and benefit-sharing could just as easily be called science for science: the PABS System will support more pandemic science, and ensure that scientists contributions result in their communities having access to lifesaving advancements.

Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the Pandemic Agreement reconvened for its penultimate session. If Article 12 is weakened or dismantled, it will be a monumental setback for global health justice and for the global scientific community.

Although todays scientific community has embraced the ideals of open data sharing, the world is no closer to a fair system for sharing vaccines and therapeutics. Intellectual property, not benefit-sharing, is the antithesis of open science. We dream of a world in which such barriers are dismantled for lifesaving medicines. Until that day, the Pandemic Agreement offers the last best chance to avoid repeating the mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

C.C. has previously received funding support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and has been a consultant for the US Department of State on Global Health issues. D.B. is a member of the Lancet-PPATS Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover. A.P. has advised multiple countries pro bono on the treaty negotiations and has consulted for the WHO on international law. C.C. and A.P. receive funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the US National Science Foundation for research related to the Pandemic Agreement. We declare no other competing interests.

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Save lives in the next pandemic: ensure vaccine equity now - Nature.com

One of the great perplexities of our time is how do we get this country back on the rails if there's so much money to be made peddling ignorance and dangerous nonsense. The Washington Post reports that Covid misinformation

According to the WP, there are connections between these organizations and some of the more energetic Bible-banging enterprises, as well as the libertarian Right. And the people in charge are living the sweet life as well.

They also have connections that reached into the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It's all one big universe of crazy, and now it pays very well.

It's a living, I guess. For these people, anyway.

Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.

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Washington Post Report: Covid Vaccine Misinformation Groups Generated Big Revenue - Esquire

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ABC is dealing with legal troubles and "religious discrimination claims" from two former employees who worked for the long-running soap opera "General Hospital," according to a report from Wednesday.

The two former crew members "sued the network after they were fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination, marking one of the first rulings to clear the way for trial over terminations caused by blanket vaccine mandates widely imposed by studios amid the pandemic," The Hollywood Reporter revealed.

Per an order shared by the outlet, the two former ABC members, James Wahl and his son, Timothy Wahl, ran the construction shop and special effects department for "General Hospital."

LARGEST-EVER COVID VACCINE STUDY LINKS SHOT TO SMALL INCREASE IN HEART AND BRAIN CONDITIONS

ABC is dealing with legal troubles and "religious discrimination claims" from two former employees who worked for the long-running TV show "General Hospital," according to a report from Wednesday. (Getty Images)

Judge Stephen Goorvitch in an order on Tuesday found they "may have had sincerely held religious beliefs that ABC should have accommodated by affording them exemptions and allowing them to follow safety protocols implemented before mandatory vaccination policies were rolled out."

"After ABC instituted a requirement that its employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, Plaintiffs requested religious exemptions, which were denied," the document, filed Tuesday, reveals.

The lawsuit also claims that ABC violated Article 1, Section 1 of the California Constitution, religious discrimination under FEHA [Fair Employment and Housing Act], disability discrimination under FEHA, retaliation under FEHA and "wrongful termination in violation of public policy."

"ABC argued that the Wahls did not have genuine religious beliefs and that, even if they did, it could not have accommodated them without undue hardship," the Hollywood Reporter wrote, adding the entertainment labor union IATSE "waived any rights members had to object to mandatory vaccination policies."

FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL CALLS FOR HALT TO COVID-19 VACCINE USAGE AFTER FDA SAID HE SPREAD MISINFORMATION

ABC beat another, similar lawsuit from Ingo Rademacher for "his dismissal from General Hospital for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine." (Nick Argo/ABC via Getty Images)

"Ruling against ABC on summary judgment, the court concluded that the studio may have discriminated against the Wahls on the basis of their religion by failing to find a workaround for their refusal to get vaccinated," the outlet reported.

ABC beat another similar lawsuit from Ingo Rademacher after he was fired from "General Hospital" for declining the COVID vaccine.

The star exited the daytime drama in 2021 after refusing to comply with ABC's mandate requiring show employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Documents were filed by attorney John W. Howard on behalf of the actor at the time, stating that Rademacher applied for a religious exemption to the mandate but was denied. He was also represented by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now running for president as an independent.

"I am entitled to a religious exemption against mandatory vaccination for COVID-19 on the basis of my deeply and sincerely held moral belief that my body is endowed by my creator with natural processes to protect me and that its natural integrity cannot ethically be violated by the administration of artificially created copies of genetic material, foreign to nature and experimental," the actor wrote in an email to Disney's human resources team in 2021, per the suit.

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A Los Angeles judge ruled in ABC's favor in 2023, saying the actor's objections to the vaccine were based on health reasons, not religious beliefs.

ABC did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fox News' Nate Day contributed to this report.

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ABC ordered to face trial in lawsuit with former 'General Hospital' employees on COVID vaccine mandates - Fox News

A new study has found two Covid vaccine side-effects which can attack the heart, brain and spinal cord.

Researchers at the Global Vaccine Data Network discovered links between mRNA(Pfizer and Moderna) vaccines and myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle - and pericarditis - swelling of the thin sac covering the heart.

Experts stress that the new side-effects are "exceptionally rare" and the benefits of Covid vaccines still "vastly outweigh the risks".

The study of more than 99 million people also confirmedGuillain-Barr syndrome, when the immune system attacks the nerves and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a type of blood clot in the brain as rare side effects associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The international journal Vaccine, where the new data is published, also established that acute disseminated encephalomyelitis - an inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord - was also linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A new study has found two very rare Covid vaccine side-effects which can attack the heart, brain and spinal cord

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The study involved people from Australia, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand and Scotland.

Researchers say the results were based on electronic healthcare data, which compared the rates of 13 brain, blood and heart conditions in people after they received the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine with the rate that would be expected of those conditions in the population before the pandemic.

The new discovery of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis triggered researchers to independently confirm the side-effect by carrying out a second study.

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Prof Jim Buttery, co-director of the Global Vaccine Data Network said the second study included a separate dataset of 6.8 million Australians who were injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Australian study of AstraZeneca-specific data confirmed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis as a side-effect but also helped detect a second new rare side-effect, known as transverse myelitis - spinal cord inflammation.

According to Vaccine, the risk of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is found in 0.78 cases for every million doses, while transverse myelitis appears in 1.82 cases per million doses.

The risk of myocarditis is even higher with natural Covid infection than it is following a vaccination, Buttery said.

The new discovery of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis triggered researchers to independently confirm the side-effect by carrying out a second study

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The senior research analyst at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Australia added that despite the conditions being serious, patients usually recover from them.

Prof Julie Leask, a vaccine expert at the University of Sydney said it is important to note that a Covid infection increases the risk of some of the rare conditions "much more than a vaccine" does.

She said the studies show that: Our vaccine experts are paying attention to when vaccines lead to serious side-effects, and theyre acting on it.

"Being confident in a system that will detect problems and address them, is a very important part of a robust vaccination program."

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Covid vaccine side-effects: Rare risk of inflammation and swelling in brain and spinal cord discovered - GB News

Moderna (MRNA) posted a fourth-quarter profit after beating revenue and earnings estimates. COVID-19 vaccine sales fell by nearly 43% year-over-year. Yahoo Finance Health Reporter Anjalee Khemlani breaks down her interview with Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel, including the pharmaceutical company's plans for its RSV vaccine and where it is integrating AI.

"Last year was a transition year. We right-sized manufacturing, took a big write-off mostly non-cash in the fourth, and now I think we're off to the races we've been gaining share in the US and the objective this year in 2024 is to increase the vaccination rate," Bancel says.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Editor's note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

SEANA SMITH: All right. Well, let's take a look at one of the big movers of the morning. And that is Moderna shares climbing to the upside, up just about 6% after posting a surprise profit in the fourth quarter despite seeing a 43% slump in COVID 19 vaccine sales. Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani spoke with Moderna's CEO about those results minutes ago. Anjalee, what did you hear?

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: That's right Seana, Moderna surprisingly coming out with the beat this time, despite the fact that we've seen the waning COVID vaccine story play out for it and other companies. But the company is saying that they do see the market for this, they in fact did increase their market share for COVID vaccines in the last quarter. So really a strong story there.

And it has been a year of transition. That's really the takeaway that CEO Stphane Bancel told me earlier today. Listen to what he had to say.

STEPHANE BANCEL: Last year was a transition year. As we said all along last year, we right size manufacturing took a big write off mostly non-cash in the fall. And now I think we're off to the races is, we have been gaining share in the US and the objective this year in 2024 is to increase vaccination rate.

Story continues

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So as you can see that right off of course with 2.2 billion right sizing manufacturing. And then focusing on the RSV vaccine launch, what they expect to happen this year could add to the revenues for the company. In addition, they're working on their combo flu and COVID vaccine. And they also have that partnership, of course, with Marc for the cancer vaccine and all told looking for a strong future.

But it is interesting also to see where Moderna is playing in the market with a focus on vaccines and infectious diseases. Also, at a time where oncology is big. As well as AI, Moderna being one of the first companies to really use AWS to be able to identify the current COVID 19 vaccine.

I asked Stephane whether or not that is an example of how far along the technology is or whether or not it still has a little bit of a drawback. And here's what he had to say.

STEPHANE BANCEL: If you look at large sets of data, to look at patterns on very large sets of data, this is where machine learning today is actually very adapted. And that's the type of use we are doing. We're not using to report financials. This is still done by standard systems like SAP and standard technology.

But when you're dealing with very large sets of data, the ability of machine learning system to look at patterns and to see things that a human cannot see because they're just so much data. That part of the technology, we believe is ready.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So as you can hear, definitely some future in there and whether or not the company continues to grow beyond that. What it has in its pipeline is what investors are waiting to see. But still a strong result and still bullish on the potential COVID market is where Moderna currently stands.

SEANA SMITH: All right. Anjalee, thanks so much. We'll be talking with an analyst from Oppenheimer with an outperform rating on the stock here later this hour get his thoughts on this report. All right. Anjalee. Thanks

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Moderna CEO's 2024 goal is to increase US vaccination rate - Yahoo Finance

Moderna (MRNA) posted a surprise beat in its full-year 2023 earnings, with its COVID-19 vaccine sales topping $6.8 billion, just above the company's guidance of $6 billion.

The full-year results were still significantly less than the $18 billion posted the prior year, when the pandemic revenues were still rolling in. For 2024, Moderna has estimated revenues of $4 billion.

CEO Stphane Bancel credits the year's results with ongoing demand for the company's COVID vaccine, despite a waning market in the post-pandemic world.

"Last year was a transition year. We right-sized manufacturing, took a big write-off, mostly non-cash, in the fall, and now I think we're off to the races. The objective this year ... is to increase vaccination rates," Bancel told Yahoo Finance.

The company took a few hits last year from unused COVID-19 doses it had to take back from the US government, as well as right-sizing its manufacturing and physical footprints.

But despite a slowing market, Bancel said he still sees a future for COVID vaccines. He says the elderly are particularly vulnerable every year and may be forgoing COVID shots, but are still getting their flu vaccines.

"We don't have enough people getting their shot. They have to understand, [they have] five times more chance of getting hospitalized" compared to those who get vaccinated, Bancel said, adding that is particularly true for individuals with multiple complicating diseases that make them more vulnerable.

But the risk goes beyond the elderly, as the effects of long COVID that is, symptoms of the disease that persist beyond recovery of the infection have been resulting in an increase of long-term unemployment. Bancel says he wants to help avoid that in the future by ensuring companies are more aware of the benefits of vaccination.

Meanwhile, Moderna is looking to launch its RSV vaccine for older adults this year, and is expecting an FDA decision on the product by May 12. It would join competitors GSK (GSK) and Pfizer (PFE), which launched their own RSV vaccines last year in the same population.

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In addition, the company is looking for clinical trial results on its combination flu and COVID vaccine and continuing its study of a cancer vaccine in partnership with Merck (MRK).

Moderna shares were up nearly 9% Thursday following the results, but are down nearly 40% in the past year.

Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, care services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. Follow Anjalee on all social media platforms @AnjKhem.

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Moderna CEO: 2024 is year of growth, with 2023 transition in rearview - Yahoo Finance

COVID-19 Vaccine

Published on: 23 Feb 2024 | Editor: Flora Teoh

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Global COVID Vaccine Safety study identified already-known risks, doesnt show that risks are greater than benefits - Health Feedback

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has denied ABCs bid to dismiss the COVID vaccination wrongful termination case filed by a father and son who ran the construction and special effects department for ABCs General Hospital.

James Wahl and his son Timothy Wahl sued ABC in 2021, asserting they were fired from the long-running daytime serial when they refused to get a COVID-19 vaccination on religious grounds. On the heels of Judge Stephen I. Goorvitchs Feb. 20 order denying ABCs motion to dismiss the case, the sides are set to meet March 11 to confer on a trial date.

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Goorvitch rejected ABCs assertion of doubt that the Wahls objection to the COVID vaccination were based in firm religious beliefs. ABC argued that the pairs roles were such that they could not receive an exemption to its strict COVID vaccination policy, given the industry-wide restrictions imposed during the pandemic to allow TV and film production to resume.

The jury, not the judge, must resolve whether Plaintiffs [the Wahls] had genuine religious beliefs and whether Defendant [ABC] could have reasonably accommodated Plaintiffs without posing an undue hardship, Goorvitch wrote.

The judge seemed to question whether ABC had made an effort to accomodate the pair and whether it overstated the risk the Walhs posed to General Hospital cast and crew members.

Defendant argues that Plaintiffs could not have been accommodated because they could not maintain a distance of six feet from others. Interpreting the record in the light most favorable to Plaintiffs, however, they were only in close proximity to others for between 30 seconds to several minutes while Plaintiffs were masked and testing regularly and the people with whom they had contact were vaccinated, Goorvitch wrote. Defendants own evidence suggests that vaccines were highly effective. This gives rise to a triable issue whether Plaintiffs posed an undue risk under these circumstances. Similarly, Defendant argues that the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus was prevalent during the fall of 2021, but again, whether Plaintiffs measures and the cast/crews vaccinations were sufficient is a triable issue. Defendants arguments must be made to the jury.

Story continues

The General Hospital case is part of a flood of post-pandemic litigation between employers and employees over COVID vacciation policies. A lawsuit similar to the Wahls complaint was filed against General Hospital by actor Ingo Rademacher, but it was dismissed by Goorvitch last June because, per the judge, the plaintiff refused to cooperate with the interactive process.

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ABC Faces Trial Over 'General Hospital' COVID Vaccination Wrongful Termination Lawsuit - Yahoo News Australia