WEBVTT - A New Vaccine Frontrunner 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:08.560 Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day sight. Since 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:14.520 coronavirus was declared a global pandemic our main story. So 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:19.200 many companies and organizations have publicly entered the contest to 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:23.560 develop a coronavirus vaccine, from Johnson and Johnson to the 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:28.240 University of Oxford, But one drug giant with the storied 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:33.120 history of battling pandemics, MERK, had said nothing but joining 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:36.800 the race for months. Now we know it has been 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:41.680 quietly developing two vaccine candidates and a pill to treat 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:46.120 COVID nineteen, but the drug maker is hesitant to commit 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:52.240 to a quick timeline. But first, here's what happened today. 0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:01.480 The ranks of people collecting unemployment in the US shrank 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:05.800 for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. It's 0:01:05.840 --> 0:01:09.440 a sign people are starting to return to work. But 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:14.920 make no mistake, millions of Americans still filed new jobless claims, 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.880 a measure of the ongoing benefit claims and state programs, 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:23.600 fell to twenty one point one million, according to the 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:29.800 Labor Department. Analysts had expected the number to rise. Despite 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:33.440 the positive sign, economists expect the recovery from the pandemic 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:38.120 to take years, and with no vaccine or significant treatment yet, 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:44.520 it's unlikely will return to normal activity anytime soon. A 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:47.880 new drug cocktail is getting tested and hope scientists can 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:52.440 find a stronger weapon against COVID nineteen. RASH Holding and 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:56.400 Gilead Sciences are starting a trial of Rash's immune suppressor 0:01:56.800 --> 0:02:01.120 at Temera, used along with Gilad's anti viral drug remdesvere. 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:04.760 Remdesivie is the only drug that's been shown to fight 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:09.960 the virus so far. While anti virals like remdesivie try 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:14.079 to stop viruses from replicating, drugs like a Temera, often 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:18.440 used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, fight inflammation, a symptom of 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:20.960 the virus that can be just as damaging as the 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:28.080 infection itself. Finally, Latin America is on a frightening coronavirus trajectory. 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:32.280 In March, when COVID nineteen was stamping out lives across 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:36.559 the globe, the region looked like it might escape relatively unharmed, 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:41.080 but now it has become the new epicenter of coronavirus. 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:48.200 Latin American countries now account for about of daily deaths globally. 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:53.440 Brazil has more cases than any country except the US. 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:57.760 Mexico had its largest single increase in both cases and 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.760 deaths this week, and at hop health official said about 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:07.560 thirty thousand people may die. Peru, Chili, and Columbia have 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:14.840 all set daily records in the past week and now 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:20.120 our main story. Out of the numerous organizations racing to 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:24.600 develop a COVID vaccine, US drug giant Mark has recently 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:28.160 emerged as a front runner. The drug maker is at 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:32.880 work on not one, but two prospective vaccine candidates, drawing 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:36.760 on its experience with ebola and measles and oculations as 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:41.160 a foundation for its COVID nineteen research. The company is 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:45.480 also developing a coronavirus pill, one that would stem infections 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:49.920 faster and easier. Although the company has refused to give 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:53.200 firm timelines for its research, it has pledged to make 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:58.440 its vaccines and pill available globally. I spoke with Bloomberg's 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:01.839 Riley Griffin to learn more about Mark's initiatives to fight 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:08.880 COVID nineteen. What is Mark doing to help fight coronavirus 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:12.880 over the last century, Really, they've been a key player 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:19.039 as it pertains to public health crisis. Now after nearly 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:22.600 six months since we first discovered what the novel coronavirus 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:27.000 really was, we're finally hearing from them. They've been leading 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:30.640 a quiet effort to reach multiple deals and secure federal 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:35.960 funding to develop two vaccines and a pill to actually 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:39.840 treat patients. And so this is really interesting because I 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:41.760 think a lot of us have been hearing a lot 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.640 about the vaccine work that's been done or is being 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:48.719 worked on by many different, many different organizations. How is 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:53.680 the pill different? The pill is a really interesting one. Actually. 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:58.520 It's an oral anti viral candidate that's in early clinical development. 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.960 It was purchased by Mark from a small company called 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:07.880 ridge Back bio Therapeutics UM and was originally discovered at 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:13.039 Emory University. This drug has been a little bit under 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:16.560 the radar in the public in the public eye, but 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:19.640 this announcement that came on May twenty six that it 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.360 had agreed to buy the rights was was fairly novel. 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:26.800 I had the opportunity to speak with Mark CEO Kenneth 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:30.760 Fraser Um, and his perspective on this drug is that 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:33.960 it actually has the potential to be easier to use 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:38.920 than Gilead's ram desiviere if successful. I'm sure, many of 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:43.080 our listeners have actually heard about Gilead's ram desiviere, a 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:47.800 drug that has been shown to alleviate COVID nineteen in 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:51.520 some patients in the hospital setting. But this is an 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:56.520 oral drug, which is different. Right, It's not um injected 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:00.600 in the I c U and as such means that 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:06.400 it's easily deployed. It's more easily made, and in Kenneth 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:10.200 Fraser's perspective, has the potential to have greater impact at 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:13.840 the global scale. And you bring up a really important point, 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:19.560 who will get these pills first globally um And according 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:22.800 to Mark, what is their plan for distribution? I think 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:27.599 Mark's overarching strategy here and how they see themselves fitting 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:32.360 into this ecosystem of pharmaceutical players trying to develop vaccines 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:36.240 and therapeutics to combat the pandemic is where can they 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:40.640 have impact and influence at a global scale. So when 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:44.119 I when I spoke with CEO Ken Fraser, he said, 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:48.400 in every case in which they tried to outline, for example, 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:52.080 a vaccine that could be incorporated into the pipeline brought 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:54.440 into the fold of their work, they wanted to hit 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:58.679 three things. First, they wanted to make sure that this 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:04.600 vaccine used existing technology that had been proven as safe 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:10.520 and efficacious in other diseases. Second, they wanted to make 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:16.119 sure that the vaccine could be effective in a single dose. 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:20.720 That changes how much output a company has to reach 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:24.040 in terms of the manufacturing process. If you can ensure 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:27.960 that in one dose you can immunize someone from the 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:32.560 novel coronavirus, that is the potential to be more easily 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.920 implemented on the ground. So what Mark is saying here 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:40.160 is they want a one shot, a one dose vaccine 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.880 that can be deployable. They want to develop vaccines that 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:47.800 could use technology or platforms that have already been proven 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.480 to work safely and effectively in people. Mark is relying 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:55.880 on their existing research and existing experience with other diseases 0:07:55.880 --> 0:07:58.680 and other vaccines. For example, you you touched on their 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:02.600 experience with ebola, and I believe even measles factors into this, 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.440 and I was just wondering if you might unpack how 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:10.960 their experience with these two ebola and measles can inform 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:15.760 their work on developing, say the vaccine against COVID nineteen. 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:21.280 So Mark reached a deal with the International AIDS Vaccine 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:25.760 Initiative to develop a vaccine that would adapt a technology 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:29.920 already used in its Ebola shot. And remember, Mark is 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:33.920 the only drugmaker that exists out there that has an 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:39.960 f d A approved Ebola virus vaccine. That is incredibly 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:43.080 important here, and that's what makes Mark so different from 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:46.040 many of its peers is it has done this kind 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:50.040 of work in global pandemic form and it's looking to 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:56.080 its experience with the Ebola virus vaccine to ultimately bring 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:59.520 a COVID nineteen vaccine to market. So that's one of 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:04.040 the twovaccines. The second candidate that they've settled on, they 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:09.080 announced they would buy themiss A privately held biotechnology company 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:12.840 for an undisclosed sum, but in turn gaining a vaccine 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:18.160 candidate that it uses an existing measles virus vector platform. 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:21.280 And what if any are Marks estimates in terms of 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:24.000 time scale? How long will it take to develop these 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:27.520 vaccines and this pill. I think what Mirk would tell you, 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:30.080 and as they've told me, is that they just have 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:36.760 a legacy of experience in developing these kinds of vaccinations. 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:41.679 But that also makes them reluctant to commit to aggressive 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:45.280 timelines some that we've heard touted by health officials right 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:50.520 Mark's Chief Patient Officer, Julie Gerberding, said that it may 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:55.720 take more time to develop a successful and efficacious COVID 0:09:55.800 --> 0:10:02.520 nineteen vaccine. She says that while she's optimistic that companies 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.319 across the world might be able to meet those timelines, 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:09.000 she knows from experience they've they've done this kind of work. 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:12.880 They're looking to Ebola and their work developing an Ebola 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:17.720 virus vaccine to guide them in which kinds of technologies 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:23.240 may be efficacious or may lead to efficacious vaccines, or, 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:27.199 as Ken Fraser says, they're starting with a platform. They 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:31.160 understand how the platform works, they understand how to scale 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:34.720 it up, and that serves as really useful information when 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:38.640 plugging in a new kind of virus. He described one 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:42.760 as a hardware and a software. These platforms they're the hardware, 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:47.600 are information about the coronavirus. That's the software that they 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:51.120 need to plug and play. So in this case, they're 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:55.720 looking to existing frameworks to shuttle forth new technology. You know, 0:10:55.760 --> 0:11:00.400 we've heard about so many other research organizations and toots 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:05.520 working on vaccines. Why are we only hearing about merk now. 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:10.200 Mark has been quieter about their vaccine and drug development 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:13.560 efforts over the last few months as many other contenders 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:16.280 have come forth, So big news from a company that 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:21.680 has a legacy in vaccinations, has considered itself a global 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:26.920 health leader, developed the very first vaccine for the bolavirus. 0:11:27.280 --> 0:11:31.360 It's a monumental time for the company and Ken Frasier, 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:35.640 who announced succession plans for a new CEO to fill 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:39.520 his shoes. Um, he's he's in it in the moment 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:45.040 and he thinks continuity of leadership is important and it's 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:49.720 all coming at a very important time for this company. 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:58.040 That was Riley Griffin and that's our show today. For 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:01.280 coverage of the outbreak from on the bureaus around the world, 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:06.600 visit Bloomberg dot com Flash Coronavirus and if you like 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:09.679 the show, please leave us a review and a rating 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:13.560 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's the best way to 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:18.560 help more listeners find our global reporting. The Prognosis Daily 0:12:18.679 --> 0:12:23.559 edition is produced by Topher Foreheaz, Jordan Gaspure, Magnus Hendrickson 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:28.160 and me Laura Carlson. Today's main story was reported by 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:33.600 Riley Griffin. Original music by Leo Sidran. Our editors are 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:38.840 Francesco Levi and Rick Shawn Francesca Levi is Bloomberg's head 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:41.200 of podcasts. Thanks for listening.