Both Pfizer and Moderna, the two major drug manufacturers likely to receive emergency authorizations for a Covid-19 vaccine in the coming weeks, have rejected invitations from President Trump to appear at a White House “Vaccine Summit” on Tuesday, according to two sources familiar with the event’s planning.The Trump administration has openly feuded with Pfizer in recent weeks over its involvement in Operation Warp Speed and the timing of a data release showing its vaccine to be highly effective, but had nonetheless invited CEO Albert Bourla to appear on a panel about the vaccine development process. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel was also invited, but neither he nor another company executive will attend.The vaccine manufacturers’ absences will be conspicuous at a “Vaccine Summit,” an event that drug industry figures and one Trump administration official largely viewed as a public relations stunt when STAT first reported the event last week.
Shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) were trading about 4% higher as of 3:50 p.m. EST on Monday. The gains came after the biotech announced that the Canadian government had increased its order of COVID-19 vaccine candidate mRNA-1273 by 20 million doses.Moderna's supply agreement with Canada now totals 40 million doses. 다파벳가입 The company also has significant deals to supply mRNA-1273 to the U.S., the U.K., Japan, and the European Union, as well as smaller-volume agreements with Israel and Qatar.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), along with its partner BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), holds the distinction of being the first to win authorization for a COVID vaccine, as the U.K. gave a green light to BNT162b2 on Wednesday. It seems likely that the big drugmaker will also become the first to secure U.S. emergency use authorization (EUA) for a coronavirus vaccine later this month.Could the ultracold storage requirements for BNT162b2 be a competitive issue for Pfizer once the pandemic is over? Maybe. However, the company is developing a powder formulation of the vaccine that wouldn't require freezing. This second-generation COVID vaccine could be available next year.It's clear that Pfizer is playing to win over the long run in the global COVID-vaccine market. The company is also working with BioNTech to develop a flu vaccine based on the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used in BNT162b2. Although Pfizer hasn't stated any plans to develop a combo COVID/flu vaccine, it wouldn't be surprising if such an effort is on the radar screen.
You probably don't remember because it seems like 15 years ago, but White went on an absolute tear shortly before the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the Bulls weren't invited to the bubble, that's the last we saw of him, but there's a strong possibility that his post-All-Star break run of 24.7 points and 4.3 assists on 41 percent 3-point shooting is more than just a 10-game hot streak. Sharing the backcourt with Zach LaVine creates certain "only one ball" issues, but the new Chicago regime, led by head coach Billy Donovan, expects White to be a vocal leader as the team's starting point guard this season. That should create more opportunity for him to initiate offense out of the pick-and-roll, where he can hit pull-up jumpers, finish at the rim and show off the improved playmaking he displayed in his final games of last season."We had nine months off, so I feel like I've taken a huge leap in my game, especially in my decision-making and playing off the pick-and-roll," White said, via the Chicago Tribune. "Coming into last year's season, coming off the pick-and-roll was something that we really didn't do at North Carolina. So for me it was new, and then different coverages.
Most believe commissioner Adam Silver and the league will do everything in their power to finish all, or most, of the season. This, too, reflects reality beyond the league: Commerce is doing all it can to continue even as COVID-19 pushes back.We want to be healthy. We want jobs. And the goal is to try and achieve both of these in tandem.There's also a sense that the rush to return so quickly after October's Finals strategically bakes in some early games if the NBA is forced to cut its 72-game season to, say, 65 or 60 or fewer.Yes, the goal and expectation, because of television contracts and the financial realities of playing even fewer games, is to play all 72. But the quick turnaround does create some flexibility if things get really bad.