| | | |   | We compare Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccines for the littlest ones, and we have an exploration of how slavery underpinned the global eradication of smallpox. I, for one, was shocked. - Meghana | | | Which vaccine should your young one receive? Vaccines are now sanctioned for the under-5 set, but which to choose? Although both are based on mRNA, the vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer differ in crucial ways. For starters, the dosing is completely different, with Pfizer choosing an especially tiny amount of antigen spread over three doses. Moderna, in comparison, only requires two doses that are markedly stronger, but trials showed they might elicit stronger side effects. In terms of efficacy, however, it’s still early days as the virus transmutes. And in terms of tolerability, parents will have to weigh out what might work best for them. Read more. | Early vaccines rooted in slavery An enslaved African named Onesimus introduced the first vaccine to the United States in 1791. He instructed a Boston physician, Zabdiel Boylston, on how to inject lymph fluid from within a smallpox vesicle into people, in order to inoculate them against the deadly disease. The process, called variolation, infects people with a hopefully milder form of the virus. But back then, many Bostonians recoiled from the idea — so Boylston tested the procedure on other enslaved people. So many iterations of the smallpox vaccination, and others, have been tested in oppressed populations. Children were used as “vaccine mules” — purposefully infecting them, in the absence of refrigeration, to harvest vaccine-producing lymph and also simplify transport across oceans. “One legacy of this work is that the practice of vaccination in the U.S. cannot be divorced from the history of slavery,” writes historian Jim Downs. Read more. | Two physicians and health equity champions share their journey On what would have been her 72nd birthday, Drs. Uché and Oni Blackstock sat down with STAT reporter Nicholas St. Fleur to discuss their mother’s experience as a physician diagnosed with leukemia and how the sisters learned to become better physicians. View the video here. | Adcomm vetoes Acadia’s antipsychotic for Alzheimer’s An FDA advisory committee recommended against the approval of pimavanserin, a drug developed by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, to treat psychosis stemming from Alzheimer’s disease. The 9-3 vote likely closes the door on the drug’s path to approval, analysts at Stifel write. The drug, sold as Nuplazid, is already used for Parkinson’s-related psychosis. But a Phase 2 trial didn’t sufficiently prove that it could improve symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s. Some of the committee members said they wanted additional trials to confirm efficacy, which include more ethnic and racial diversity, NeurologyLive notes. But those who wanted to give Nuplazid a chance in patients with Alzheimer’s said the drug has no known safety concerns, and that there’s a great unmet need for it. | Merck courting ADC player Seagen Merck is interested in buying Seagen, a biotech developing antibody therapies for cancer, the Wall Street Journal reports. Seagen, formerly known as Seattle Genetics, has been considered a lucrative takeover target for quite some time, but a pricy one: Its market value now hovers around the $30 billion mark. Given the cost, and the regulatory issues around acquiring a company like Seagen, Merck is purportedly also considering striking up a marketing agreement with the biotech. Seagen’s portfolio has been quite successful, bringing in $1.6 billion in sales last year. Most of that comes from the drug Adcentris, an antibody drug conjugate used to treat some lymphomas, targeting tumor cells expressing the CD30 antigen. The acquisition would bolster Merck’s cancer pipeline, which is currently dominated by the immunotherapy Keytruda, which brought in $17.2 billion in sales last year. | More reads - A longtime investor talks interest rates, biotech, and why luxury cars are a warning sign. STAT
- WTO reaches a deal on Covid vaccine patent waivers, but industry and advocates remain unhappy. STAT
- Can we develop a Covid-19 vaccine that lasts? Wall Street Journal
- Lawmakers ask GAO to probe pharmacy benefit managers over their role in drug pricing. STAT
| Thanks for reading! Until tomorrow,  | | | |
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