Scientists were close to a coronavirus vaccine years ago. Then the money dried up.

[lostnfound]

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/scientists-were-close-coronavirus-vaccine-years-ago-then-money-dried-n1150091

"We just could not generate much interest," a researcher said of the difficulty in getting funding to test the vaccine in humans.

HOUSTON — Dr. Peter Hotez says he made the pitch to anyone who would listen. After years of research, his team of scientists in Texas had helped develop a vaccine to protect against a deadly strain of coronavirus. Now they needed money to begin testing it in humans.

But this was 2016. More than a decade had passed since the viral disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, had spread through China, killing more than 770 people. That disease, an earlier coronavirus similar to the one now sweeping the globe, was a distant memory by the time Hotez and his team sought funding to test whether their vaccine would work in humans. […]

Early efforts to develop a SARS vaccine in animal trials were plagued by a phenomenon known as "vaccine-induced enhancement," in which recipients exhibit worse symptoms after being injected — something Fauci said researchers must be mindful of as they work to quickly develop a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

“We've had some conversations with big pharma companies in recent weeks about our vaccine, and literally one said, 'Well, we're holding back to see if this thing comes back year after year,'" Hotez said.

"Because nobody would invest a few million dollars into these SARS vaccines, we're looking at, I don't know what the number is, $10 billion, $100 billion in economic losses," Hotez said ahead of his appearance in Washington. "The stakes are so high, and the amount of money you're talking about to fund this research is so modest."

[BeckyDem]

1. Could not generate much interest. sigh

K&R

[greymattermom]

2. That's much more common than you might think.

My areas of basic research were brain injury in the elderly and effects of estrogen on migraine. Yep, same deal. No interest?? Really??? I stayed funded for 40 years, but at the end I was a full time beggar.

[BeckyDem]

3. Shameful!

[McKim]

9. My Husband Did Brain Research for 35 Years

My husband did brain research for 35 years on soft money grants. The approval rate for NIH grants hovered between 5% and 1% depending on the federal budget. Many people have left Neuroscience because this is so discouraging. The entire yearly budget of NIH for one of those years equaled the price of an aircraft carrier. Our bloated military budget is the elephant in our Livingroom. We have been funding death over life since the 1950s’. It’s why we can’t have nice things like universal health care. Chickens are coming home to roost now with Coronavirus.
Wake up people!

[DENVERPOPS]

11. If there is any consolation

it is that this virus doesn't give a rat's ass about who you voted for, or how wealthy you are.

Trump Voters and Uber Rich take notice of that fact.

Usually only us middle class and lower class Democrats get fucked by their actions/inactions. This is going to go after them just as hard.......

[Cirque du So-What]

6. In other words...

The profit margin wasn't sufficiently large enough. Get back to us with a plan that will generate profits hand-over-fist.

[BeckyDem]

7. Yep, money is the key. So frustrating!

[Turbineguy]

4. It's about money

but science is involved.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Saw him on MSNBC.

He said the year was 2016 when the money dried up. They were at the stage of live testing and it would have taken a year to complete.

[OhNo-Really]

8. We can each help save lives according to science models

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213054589

Case for social distancing to avoid overwhelming medical capacity

[UpInArms]

10. This country has gone backwards since 2016

More ignorance, hate, bigotry ...

am sick of the science deniers who continue to use a cellphone...

Grrrrrrrrrr

[denem]

12. Bunk

A vaccine for SARS - 'plagued' with problems, not COVID-19 which didn't exist.

[lostnfound]

13. SARS is a strain of a coronavirus, isn't it?

It doesn’t say they had a virus for COVID-19.
Only that interest in development of a vaccine was too dependent on potential profits.

Maybe this vaccine would have failed the “do no harm” test, I get that.

[Ms. Toad]

14. SARS and COVID-19 are caused by different strains of the coronavirus.

It isn't "do no harm" test that it fails - it would have been worthless because it would have protected against SARS, not COVID 19.

It would be like using rabbit repellent against a bear. They are both mammals - but not the same mammal.