https://endpts.com/unheard-of-speeds-trump-wa...e-meeting/
'Unheard-of speeds': Trump, newly warmed up to biopharma, praises industry's coronavirus response at White House meeting
Speed is of the essence when it comes to developing vaccines and therapeutics for the new coronavirus. Especially if you are briefing President Donald Trump.
“What’s your timing here?” was Trump’s go-to question after he listened to each of the 10 biopharma executives who convened in the White House Monday afternoon with the coronavirus task force led by VP Mike Pence.
The usual suspects were present: Stéphane Bancel of Moderna, which has shipped off its mRNA vaccine for a Phase I study at the NIH; Len Schleifer of Regeneron, in the hunt for antibodies; Gilead’s Daniel O’Day, there to discuss the two Phase III trials his company has started for a closely watched antiviral; and GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley, together with representatives of J&J and Sanofi, representing the traditional vaccine makers.
Then there’s also Pfizer, which has been out of the scene but revealed that it’s screening its library of antivirals to see if any could be useful against SARS-CoV-2. Novavax and Inovio, two smaller vaccine developers, also made a pitch for their respective technologies. Inovio’s Joseph Kim, who’s been called out for seeming like a “Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to infectious diseases,” went so far as to describe his company as the leader in coronavirus vaccine development in the world (its candidate is still in preclinical stage).
As he appeared to learn the difference between vaccines, antibodies and antivirals — what HHS Secretary Alex Azar called “the continuum of R&D” — Trump pressed each executive on the timelines.
“So you have a medicine that’s already involved with the coronaviruses, and now you have to see if it’s specifically for this,” he interrupted O’Day during his update on remdesivir. “You can know that tomorrow, can’t you?”
At another point, upon learning that Moderna’s mRNA vaccines will still take another year to get into Phase III, he compared it with Regeneron’s antibody program: “But Lenny was talking about two months.”
He showed considerably less interest in the manufacturing capacities that the companies were reporting, with Regeneron saying it can produce 200,000 clinical doses per month out of its factory in New York starting in August. John Shiver of Sanofi estimated they could make between 100 million and 600 million of a coronavirus vaccine without jeopardizing flu vaccine production; Paul Stoffels similarly said J&J has capacity to manufacture hundreds of millions of doses.
Meanwhile, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), spent much of the hour-long conversation keeping Trump’s expectations in check.
“Just to make sure that, Mr. President, you get the information, a vaccine that you make and start testing in a year is not a vaccine that’s deployable,” he said in response to Trump’s answer to a media question. “So he’s asking the question when is it gonna be deployable. And that’s gonna be at the earliest a year to a year and a half no matter how fast you go.”
Even then, Trump appeared pleased with the progress, calling the drugmakers represented at the table “the greatest companies in the world.”
“I came into the room not expecting what I’ve heard,” he said, citing “unheard-of speeds.”
That’s a dramatic departure from the antagonistic rhetoric the president has waged against the industry for high drug prices, which during his tenure has seen its reputation sink to new lows. But don’t think the redemption means Trump will be lending federal money into their R&D efforts.
“I know the companies very well, some of them are so rich I think they can actually loan money to the federal government,” he said. “They don’t need money, they need time. I think what they need more than anything else is for the FDA and [Fauci] to help you get through the process as quickly as possible.”
'Unheard-of speeds': Trump, newly warmed up to biopharma, praises industry's coronavirus response at White House meeting
Speed is of the essence when it comes to developing vaccines and therapeutics for the new coronavirus. Especially if you are briefing President Donald Trump.
“What’s your timing here?” was Trump’s go-to question after he listened to each of the 10 biopharma executives who convened in the White House Monday afternoon with the coronavirus task force led by VP Mike Pence.
The usual suspects were present: Stéphane Bancel of Moderna, which has shipped off its mRNA vaccine for a Phase I study at the NIH; Len Schleifer of Regeneron, in the hunt for antibodies; Gilead’s Daniel O’Day, there to discuss the two Phase III trials his company has started for a closely watched antiviral; and GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley, together with representatives of J&J and Sanofi, representing the traditional vaccine makers.
Then there’s also Pfizer, which has been out of the scene but revealed that it’s screening its library of antivirals to see if any could be useful against SARS-CoV-2. Novavax and Inovio, two smaller vaccine developers, also made a pitch for their respective technologies. Inovio’s Joseph Kim, who’s been called out for seeming like a “Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to infectious diseases,” went so far as to describe his company as the leader in coronavirus vaccine development in the world (its candidate is still in preclinical stage).
As he appeared to learn the difference between vaccines, antibodies and antivirals — what HHS Secretary Alex Azar called “the continuum of R&D” — Trump pressed each executive on the timelines.
“So you have a medicine that’s already involved with the coronaviruses, and now you have to see if it’s specifically for this,” he interrupted O’Day during his update on remdesivir. “You can know that tomorrow, can’t you?”
At another point, upon learning that Moderna’s mRNA vaccines will still take another year to get into Phase III, he compared it with Regeneron’s antibody program: “But Lenny was talking about two months.”
He showed considerably less interest in the manufacturing capacities that the companies were reporting, with Regeneron saying it can produce 200,000 clinical doses per month out of its factory in New York starting in August. John Shiver of Sanofi estimated they could make between 100 million and 600 million of a coronavirus vaccine without jeopardizing flu vaccine production; Paul Stoffels similarly said J&J has capacity to manufacture hundreds of millions of doses.
Meanwhile, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), spent much of the hour-long conversation keeping Trump’s expectations in check.
“Just to make sure that, Mr. President, you get the information, a vaccine that you make and start testing in a year is not a vaccine that’s deployable,” he said in response to Trump’s answer to a media question. “So he’s asking the question when is it gonna be deployable. And that’s gonna be at the earliest a year to a year and a half no matter how fast you go.”
Even then, Trump appeared pleased with the progress, calling the drugmakers represented at the table “the greatest companies in the world.”
“I came into the room not expecting what I’ve heard,” he said, citing “unheard-of speeds.”
That’s a dramatic departure from the antagonistic rhetoric the president has waged against the industry for high drug prices, which during his tenure has seen its reputation sink to new lows. But don’t think the redemption means Trump will be lending federal money into their R&D efforts.
“I know the companies very well, some of them are so rich I think they can actually loan money to the federal government,” he said. “They don’t need money, they need time. I think what they need more than anything else is for the FDA and [Fauci] to help you get through the process as quickly as possible.”
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