1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:08,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day sight. Since 2 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: coronavirus was declared a global pandemic our main story. So 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: many companies and organizations have publicly entered the contest to 4 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: develop a coronavirus vaccine, from Johnson and Johnson to the 5 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: University of Oxford, But one drug giant with the storied 6 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: history of battling pandemics, MERK, had said nothing but joining 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: the race for months. Now we know it has been 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: quietly developing two vaccine candidates and a pill to treat 9 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen, but the drug maker is hesitant to commit 10 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: to a quick timeline. But first, here's what happened today. 11 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: The ranks of people collecting unemployment in the US shrank 12 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. It's 13 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: a sign people are starting to return to work. But 14 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: make no mistake, millions of Americans still filed new jobless claims, 15 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: a measure of the ongoing benefit claims and state programs, 16 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: fell to twenty one point one million, according to the 17 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: Labor Department. Analysts had expected the number to rise. Despite 18 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: the positive sign, economists expect the recovery from the pandemic 19 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: to take years, and with no vaccine or significant treatment yet, 20 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: it's unlikely will return to normal activity anytime soon. A 21 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: new drug cocktail is getting tested and hope scientists can 22 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: find a stronger weapon against COVID nineteen. RASH Holding and 23 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: Gilead Sciences are starting a trial of Rash's immune suppressor 24 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: at Temera, used along with Gilad's anti viral drug remdesvere. 25 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: Remdesivie is the only drug that's been shown to fight 26 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: the virus so far. While anti virals like remdesivie try 27 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: to stop viruses from replicating, drugs like a Temera, often 28 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, fight inflammation, a symptom of 29 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: the virus that can be just as damaging as the 30 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: infection itself. Finally, Latin America is on a frightening coronavirus trajectory. 31 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: In March, when COVID nineteen was stamping out lives across 32 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,559 Speaker 1: the globe, the region looked like it might escape relatively unharmed, 33 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 1: but now it has become the new epicenter of coronavirus. 34 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: Latin American countries now account for about of daily deaths globally. 35 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: Brazil has more cases than any country except the US. 36 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: Mexico had its largest single increase in both cases and 37 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: deaths this week, and at hop health official said about 38 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: thirty thousand people may die. Peru, Chili, and Columbia have 39 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: all set daily records in the past week and now 40 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: our main story. Out of the numerous organizations racing to 41 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: develop a COVID vaccine, US drug giant Mark has recently 42 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: emerged as a front runner. The drug maker is at 43 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: work on not one, but two prospective vaccine candidates, drawing 44 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: on its experience with ebola and measles and oculations as 45 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: a foundation for its COVID nineteen research. The company is 46 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: also developing a coronavirus pill, one that would stem infections 47 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: faster and easier. Although the company has refused to give 48 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: firm timelines for its research, it has pledged to make 49 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: its vaccines and pill available globally. I spoke with Bloomberg's 50 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,839 Speaker 1: Riley Griffin to learn more about Mark's initiatives to fight 51 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen. What is Mark doing to help fight coronavirus 52 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: over the last century, Really, they've been a key player 53 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: as it pertains to public health crisis. Now after nearly 54 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: six months since we first discovered what the novel coronavirus 55 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: really was, we're finally hearing from them. They've been leading 56 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: a quiet effort to reach multiple deals and secure federal 57 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: funding to develop two vaccines and a pill to actually 58 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: treat patients. And so this is really interesting because I 59 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: think a lot of us have been hearing a lot 60 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: about the vaccine work that's been done or is being 61 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: worked on by many different, many different organizations. How is 62 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: the pill different? The pill is a really interesting one. Actually. 63 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: It's an oral anti viral candidate that's in early clinical development. 64 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: It was purchased by Mark from a small company called 65 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: ridge Back bio Therapeutics UM and was originally discovered at 66 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:13,039 Speaker 1: Emory University. This drug has been a little bit under 67 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: the radar in the public in the public eye, but 68 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: this announcement that came on May twenty six that it 69 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: had agreed to buy the rights was was fairly novel. 70 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: I had the opportunity to speak with Mark CEO Kenneth 71 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: Fraser Um, and his perspective on this drug is that 72 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: it actually has the potential to be easier to use 73 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: than Gilead's ram desiviere if successful. I'm sure, many of 74 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: our listeners have actually heard about Gilead's ram desiviere, a 75 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: drug that has been shown to alleviate COVID nineteen in 76 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: some patients in the hospital setting. But this is an 77 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: oral drug, which is different. Right, It's not um injected 78 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: in the I c U and as such means that 79 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: it's easily deployed. It's more easily made, and in Kenneth 80 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: Fraser's perspective, has the potential to have greater impact at 81 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: the global scale. And you bring up a really important point, 82 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: who will get these pills first globally um And according 83 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: to Mark, what is their plan for distribution? I think 84 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: Mark's overarching strategy here and how they see themselves fitting 85 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: into this ecosystem of pharmaceutical players trying to develop vaccines 86 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: and therapeutics to combat the pandemic is where can they 87 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: have impact and influence at a global scale. So when 88 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,119 Speaker 1: I when I spoke with CEO Ken Fraser, he said, 89 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: in every case in which they tried to outline, for example, 90 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: a vaccine that could be incorporated into the pipeline brought 91 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: into the fold of their work, they wanted to hit 92 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,679 Speaker 1: three things. First, they wanted to make sure that this 93 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: vaccine used existing technology that had been proven as safe 94 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: and efficacious in other diseases. Second, they wanted to make 95 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:16,119 Speaker 1: sure that the vaccine could be effective in a single dose. 96 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: That changes how much output a company has to reach 97 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: in terms of the manufacturing process. If you can ensure 98 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: that in one dose you can immunize someone from the 99 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: novel coronavirus, that is the potential to be more easily 100 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: implemented on the ground. So what Mark is saying here 101 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: is they want a one shot, a one dose vaccine 102 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: that can be deployable. They want to develop vaccines that 103 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: could use technology or platforms that have already been proven 104 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: to work safely and effectively in people. Mark is relying 105 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: on their existing research and existing experience with other diseases 106 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: and other vaccines. For example, you you touched on their 107 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: experience with ebola, and I believe even measles factors into this, 108 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: and I was just wondering if you might unpack how 109 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: their experience with these two ebola and measles can inform 110 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: their work on developing, say the vaccine against COVID nineteen. 111 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: So Mark reached a deal with the International AIDS Vaccine 112 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: Initiative to develop a vaccine that would adapt a technology 113 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: already used in its Ebola shot. And remember, Mark is 114 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: the only drugmaker that exists out there that has an 115 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: f d A approved Ebola virus vaccine. That is incredibly 116 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,080 Speaker 1: important here, and that's what makes Mark so different from 117 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: many of its peers is it has done this kind 118 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: of work in global pandemic form and it's looking to 119 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: its experience with the Ebola virus vaccine to ultimately bring 120 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: a COVID nineteen vaccine to market. So that's one of 121 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: the twovaccines. The second candidate that they've settled on, they 122 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:09,080 Speaker 1: announced they would buy themiss A privately held biotechnology company 123 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: for an undisclosed sum, but in turn gaining a vaccine 124 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: candidate that it uses an existing measles virus vector platform. 125 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: And what if any are Marks estimates in terms of 126 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: time scale? How long will it take to develop these 127 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: vaccines and this pill. I think what Mirk would tell you, 128 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: and as they've told me, is that they just have 129 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: a legacy of experience in developing these kinds of vaccinations. 130 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:41,679 Speaker 1: But that also makes them reluctant to commit to aggressive 131 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: timelines some that we've heard touted by health officials right 132 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: Mark's Chief Patient Officer, Julie Gerberding, said that it may 133 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: take more time to develop a successful and efficacious COVID 134 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: nineteen vaccine. She says that while she's optimistic that companies 135 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,319 Speaker 1: across the world might be able to meet those timelines, 136 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: she knows from experience they've they've done this kind of work. 137 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: They're looking to Ebola and their work developing an Ebola 138 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 1: virus vaccine to guide them in which kinds of technologies 139 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: may be efficacious or may lead to efficacious vaccines, or, 140 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 1: as Ken Fraser says, they're starting with a platform. They 141 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: understand how the platform works, they understand how to scale 142 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: it up, and that serves as really useful information when 143 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: plugging in a new kind of virus. He described one 144 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: as a hardware and a software. These platforms they're the hardware, 145 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 1: are information about the coronavirus. That's the software that they 146 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: need to plug and play. So in this case, they're 147 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 1: looking to existing frameworks to shuttle forth new technology. You know, 148 00:10:55,760 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: we've heard about so many other research organizations and toots 149 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: working on vaccines. Why are we only hearing about merk now. 150 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,200 Speaker 1: Mark has been quieter about their vaccine and drug development 151 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: efforts over the last few months as many other contenders 152 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: have come forth, So big news from a company that 153 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: has a legacy in vaccinations, has considered itself a global 154 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: health leader, developed the very first vaccine for the bolavirus. 155 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: It's a monumental time for the company and Ken Frasier, 156 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: who announced succession plans for a new CEO to fill 157 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: his shoes. Um, he's he's in it in the moment 158 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:45,040 Speaker 1: and he thinks continuity of leadership is important and it's 159 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: all coming at a very important time for this company. 160 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: That was Riley Griffin and that's our show today. For 161 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: coverage of the outbreak from on the bureaus around the world, 162 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:06,600 Speaker 1: visit Bloomberg dot com Flash Coronavirus and if you like 163 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 1: the show, please leave us a review and a rating 164 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's the best way to 165 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: help more listeners find our global reporting. The Prognosis Daily 166 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 1: edition is produced by Topher Foreheaz, Jordan Gaspure, Magnus Hendrickson 167 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 1: and me Laura Carlson. Today's main story was reported by 168 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: Riley Griffin. Original music by Leo Sidran. Our editors are 169 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:38,840 Speaker 1: Francesco Levi and Rick Shawn Francesca Levi is Bloomberg's head 170 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: of podcasts. Thanks for listening.