The U.S. 'may have missed a window' to produce 'an important bridge' to a coronavirus vaccine


Since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the United States has emphasized ratcheting up vaccine production even before federal approval so that, if and when the time comes, the stockpile is ready to go. The same can't be said about a potential treatment known as monoclonal antibodies, however, Stat News reports.
Monoclonal antibodies are pretty much what they sound like — antibodies that have been genetically engineered into new medicines. Immunologists and virologists are reportedly optimistic they could play a role in fighting COVID-19, and data from two separate clinical trials run by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly are expected to be released in the fall, possibly indicating whether the therapies are safe and effective.
But even if they are, it may be too late. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the U.S. "may have a missed a window" to scale up production of the treatments, which otherwise "could have been an important bridge to a vaccine." Perhaps more importantly, he added, they could also serve as a "hedge in the event vaccines are delayed or don't work." Ultimately, despite the antibodies' potential to change the tides of the pandemic, Gottlieb said, "we just don't have enough doses to realize that goal." Read more at Stat News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Does ketchup belong on a hot dog and more May 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's cartoons feature Pope Leo XIV, Newark airport, and Donald Trump's meme coin
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year