I know the Pfizer/BioNTec and Moderna mRNA vaccines are first in class technologies. And I am happy that small biotech companies can reap the benefits of such a breakthrough. But I must say there is a level of disappointment if you look at the case in detail and objectively. Why such a blasphemy you ask? Well keep reading.
The technology is a high cost and high maintenance technology and at its core it was expected to combat deadly diseases (cancer individualized immunotherapy for BioNTect, and Ebola for Moderna). However, in spite of a multitude of patents, studies and preliminary results we have seen nothing of the sort. But what about COVID-19? How can I be so insensitive to the biggest global disruption since World War 2?
I am not! COVID-19 has been very disruptive and quite deadly, at least to the elderly. But in spite of such high stakes, the countries have behaved selfishly and immaturely from the very beginning: hoarding equipment and supplies, over-indulging in pre-purchasing vaccines (often double or triple their needs for their total population), and worst of all, discarding legitimate solutions from ‘politico-economic’ challengers. And all this has led the western world with €15 a shot vaccines with -80° to -20° temperature storage, whereas the €2 - €4 shots from Russia, Astra-Zeneca and even China and India would have done the job very well. Yes there may be a slight efficacy advantage (although that remains to be seen), but that’s all. Neither the benefits nor the timelines give those expensive and costly to maintain vaccines such a benefit over the standard vaccines to make them objectively the stars they have become.
So while the start-ups promised to build Ferraris and Lamborghinis to combat cancer and other deadly diseases, the political game playing and greed and/or incompetence of our leaders and the fear instilled in us, all forced the western world to use the Ferraris and Lamborghinis for transport to buy bread, which had much cheaper and more efficient solutions.
Paris, March 29, 2021
Zeeiay