Vaccine 90 percent effective

245

Comments

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    Status

    Hi guys...

    An update. Waiting game now. Btw thanks for the sentiment but you are being way too nice. 

    This is not a Lilly study after all but is an AstraZeneca application of the Lilly antibody treatment but as a preventative measure instead of treatment for symptoms.

    Physician's Research Group is conducting a pair of clinical trials focused on the prevention of COVID-19. These studies use monoclonal antibody therapy, which serves as a medication alternative to the vaccine for those who seek additional options

    I sent my medical history and now its a waiting game to see if my medical profile matches a group profile they are seeking for this research. I do know they are especially seeking over 60s for this study... Whether or not a Prostate Cancer survivor fits their desired profile is yet to be determined. 

    If my medical profile matches, I will be brought in for screening, and I will bring the consent forms with me. 

    After the screening, if I pass the screening, they will test for covid several times throughout, will get two shots of the antibody treatment in my buttcheek, will have blood draws then and during 7 more visits, plus constant health monitorung and other tests.

    When I was an intern at the Psychiatric Research Center as a grad and undergrad, running neurochemical experiments on behavior in rats and pigeons for the researchers, I did not know the tables would turn, and I would someday be the lab rat getting the injections and being observed. 

    Turns out, this preventative measure is for demographics that cannot take the messengerRNA vaccine... But the drawback is that it is estimated to last only up to 6 months before needing a booster. So it is not a magic bullet necessarily.

  • eonore
    eonore Member Posts: 174 Member
    Grinder said:

    Status

    Hi guys...

    An update. Waiting game now. Btw thanks for the sentiment but you are being way too nice. 

    This is not a Lilly study after all but is an AstraZeneca application of the Lilly antibody treatment but as a preventative measure instead of treatment for symptoms.

    Physician's Research Group is conducting a pair of clinical trials focused on the prevention of COVID-19. These studies use monoclonal antibody therapy, which serves as a medication alternative to the vaccine for those who seek additional options

    I sent my medical history and now its a waiting game to see if my medical profile matches a group profile they are seeking for this research. I do know they are especially seeking over 60s for this study... Whether or not a Prostate Cancer survivor fits their desired profile is yet to be determined. 

    If my medical profile matches, I will be brought in for screening, and I will bring the consent forms with me. 

    After the screening, if I pass the screening, they will test for covid several times throughout, will get two shots of the antibody treatment in my buttcheek, will have blood draws then and during 7 more visits, plus constant health monitorung and other tests.

    When I was an intern at the Psychiatric Research Center as a grad and undergrad, running neurochemical experiments on behavior in rats and pigeons for the researchers, I did not know the tables would turn, and I would someday be the lab rat getting the injections and being observed. 

    Turns out, this preventative measure is for demographics that cannot take the messengerRNA vaccine... But the drawback is that it is estimated to last only up to 6 months before needing a booster. So it is not a magic bullet necessarily.

    Study

    Many thanks for volunteering and putting yourself on the front lines.  I hope you get picked and help make the coronavirus a mere nuisance.

     

    Eric

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    edited February 2021 #24
    Still an hero

    Yes, you continue to be our hero in spite of the difference of the clinical trial. I hope you benefit from the mab's shot. Meanwhile the efficacy of some of the vaccines discussed above have run into questionable doubts if they are proper to everyone or every variant of the virus.

    In UK they are now thinking in the means to distinguish/qualify those who have been vaccinated from those who have not. Visitors to the country or returnees without a vaccine-passport may not be welcomed. I think that the problem raised from the high number of people willing to abstain from being vaccinated. The same situation is seen in Israeli where 1/3 of the population have been vaccinated but where it has been difficult to fulfill the daily list of people for the vaccine. Lesser numbers are now registered and the vaccines are accumulating in storage.

    Immunization of the country is not expected if 70% of the population is not inoculated. Governments are looking for means to allure people for the vaccine even if that must be forcible. Some countries oblige vaccination to all but some allow defiance. I wonder what kind of law they are going to cook up to deny the right to don't vaccinate in the EU.

    I am more tempted to get a mab-shot than a vaccine but mabs in Europe may be seen only after men has put foot on Mars. 

    Best

    VG 

     

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    edited February 2021 #25
    Hey

    I'll tell you guys what I told my wife...

    Do you really want to inflate my ego any bigger than it already is?

    She said HECK NO!

    LoL ???

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    edited February 2021 #26
    Got my monoclonal antibody Covid shots today

    Here is the title of the research program:

    "A Phase III Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Multi-center Study in Adults to Determine the Safety and Efficacy of AZD7442, a Combination Product of Two Monoclonal Antibodies (AZD8895 and AZD1061), for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis of COVID-19."

     

     Seriously, that is just the title.

    I went in this morning where some very nice staff nurses tooks my vitals, urine sample, nasal swab for Covid test (ugh), another test for covid antibodies, an EKG, check over by the doctor, and blood draw of six vials of blood (!).

    Then the doc shot me in the buttcheeks... Two injections, one in each side. 

    Then I had to wait around another hour while they observed me to make sure I didnt grow a second head or other dramatic side effect... Then I went home.

    Now they will be calling me during the week and I will be going back every week so they can monitor my progress and draw more blood to monitor progress of antibodies.This monitoring will be going on for a couple months and the study itself lasts for half a year.

    So there it is. I felt NO unpleasant side effects at all. And they daid no one has reported any so far.

    The purpose of this preventative treatment will be for persons who cannot take the other vaccines for whatever reason. The only drawback is it has to be renewed occasionally every six months to a year. It is not a one and done like vaccines are normally. 

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    Feeling great!

    Just kidding

     

     

     

     

    (Just kidding)

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,285 Member
    edited February 2021 #28
    Growing a second head

    is a well-known side effect of monoclonal antibody therapies; watch out for those. Wink

    No, seriously; this is a very interesting study. and we are grateful to you for keeping us updated.

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    edited February 2021 #29
    Thanks for the update

    Grinder the Hero, 

    Yes, you describe all in doubles so you may get effects in double too. Lol

    This ADZ7442 has been given to covid patients in phase 2 showing reliability in the cure. In this phase 3 (your timing) they will check its capabilities in prevention and treating. All those tests done before the injection is to group you in the prevention or treatment cohort in case you are negative or positive to the virus. 

    I wonder if they give you the blood test results. It would be good if you retain a copy to compare the markers at the six months milestone. 

    The good things in clinical trials is the constant attention provided by the professionals. We couldn’t be safer. 

    Here are details on the trial:

    https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/vaccines/covid-19-antibody-azd7442

    The EU population were set to receive the Astra-Zeneca AZD1222 vaccine used in the UK but due to manufacturers restrains some countries started to use other vaccines from different pharmas which I believe that they get to identical outcomes as these work similarly in terms of prevention. EU officials that have politicized the vaccination program are now in war against Astra-Zeneca’s default insisting them to deliver the contracted numbers the soonest. It would be nice if Astra-Zeneca instead delivers the AZD7442.

    The AZD1222 is a sort of flu vaccine known as “adenovirus vaccine" which uses a virus studied and in use for many years in similar vaccines. This virus is altered to carry a gene for sars-cov2 protein that, in time, will then educate our immune system to recognize the bandit.

    I wonder why was the shot done at the buttocks?

    Thanks for the update.

    VGama

     

  • Georges Calvez
    Georges Calvez Member Posts: 547 Member
    Vaccine renewal

    Hi everybody,

    The vaccine is not looking like a one and done shot either.
    Already the UK is talking about a booster in the autumn to cover new strains, etc.
    We could end up with an annual vaccination campaign every autumn similar to the flu, maybe in combination with the flu vaccine.
    This will probably be manageable in the US, Canada, most of Europe, Japan, China, India, etc, but I doubt it will be possible worldwide.
    On the bright side spring is on its way in Northern France!

    Best wishes,

    Georges

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    edited March 2021 #31
    Update

    Not much to comment on this update. The first follow up visit was checking vital signs and looking for side effects. As far as I can tell everything is tip top.

    Instead of going back every week, there looks like a 2-3 week lull between visits. So this study stretches the visits out longer than what I thought... as long as there are no health complications of any sort.

    Vasco... you are right, they take good care and are very conscientious. And if I contract Covid during the study for any reason, even if the transmission has nothing to do with the study participation, they will provide the best care available at the best facility available with the best professionals available, all paid for by AstraZeneca at no cost to me or my insurance.

    After hearing about the study from me, several friends have notified relatives, who cannot take the vaccine for a variety of reasons, that this preventative treatment will hopefully be available next year. I don't know if the wheels of research can move that quickly, but I am hoping they will. I will ask at the next visit when is the earliest they can project, assuming all goes as planned, which it seems to be doing. 

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    Well...

    Well you know what they say, Old Salt...

    "Two heads are better than one"...

    So maybe that's not such a bad side effect after all. As long as the new head realizes I am the "a priori" head, and I get to eat the junk food and he has to take the medicines. And I do all the talking. And I get to kiss my wife. And I decide what we watch on TV. And what books we read. 

    But I'll let him do all the driving while I nap. ?

  • GeorgeG
    GeorgeG Member Posts: 152
    Compatible with our condition

    Does anyone have any data or perspective on any of the vaccine types and its compatibility with active PC and/or ADT/Firmagon? I am trying to decide if I am going to get vaccinated or not.

     

    Thanks,

     

    George

     

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    Injecting an organism to trigger an immune response

    George,

    So far all the 13 available covid-19 vaccines have been administrated indiscriminately of any illness contracted by patients. Initially there was a concern regarding the mRNA vaccines that contain polyethylene glycol (PEG) which can cause anaphylaxis (acute allergic reaction) but so far only few number of side effects, mostly mild, have been reported. The vaccines influence a reaction by the immune system and this is more accentuated at low testosterone. In other words, ADT could lead to a faster adaptation of the immune system to combat the coronavirus. I think that you should get the consensus from your team of physicians treating you to validate your vaccination.

    We are now at about the fourth month since the start of vaccination around the world and the outcomes regarding effectiveness are dull. None of the vaccines have proven its effective marks in action as announced by the pharmas after their clinical trials. The 95% is now at 75% on average. The most striking evidence on benefits is lesser symptom experienced by those vaccinated guys that contracted the virus later. In my lay opinion it means that inflammation caused by the virus infection becomes more amenable, probably similar to influenza symptoms.

    Surely we need more time to get to conclusions. What is annoying is that vaccination have been arrested by governments around the world and turned into a sort of political affair. The so called green passport required to EU travelers is completely out of the contest in avoiding spread. Vaccination doesn't cure or suppresses contagion. PCR testing, distancing, masks and public hygiene are still the best in controling Covid-19 spread. Confinement continues even to those vaccinated.

    Best,

    VGama

  • GeorgeG
    GeorgeG Member Posts: 152
    edited March 2021 #35
    Yes, the best outcomes have

    Yes, the best outcomes have been in Asian countries with good mask compliance, widespread tesing and good isolation discipline resulting in death per capita almost 100 times lower than the US, assuming accurate reporting. Here in the states all of this has taken on the political flavor that you reference which has been unfortunate. I am apolitical, just technical by training and a scientist at heart.

    I am talking to my medical team about the vaccine but I like getting other opinions as well. Do you think that the mrna vaccines make sense for guys like us in general and what is your opinion about how variants change all of this?

     

    George

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    edited March 2021 #36
    Viral mutations and variants

    George,

    Variants to sars-cov2 have been present from the very start and surely will oblige to alter the way vaccines are programmed to work. The variant found in Europe one year ago was already different from the one found previously in China in 2019. In fact, up to today several other variants were found but only those seen as potentially aggressive in terms of infectious have been sorted out and studied in detail. For instance; the UK variant (B.1.1.7), the South Africa variant (B.1.351), the Australia variant (B.1.1.317), the Brazil variant (P.1), etc.

    Apart from these variants, vaccines will have to be altered to adapt in covering the several mutations of variants. These mutations are now the main concern of the pharmas because they can reduce the effect of existing vaccines but will not render them totally useless. The virus is in circulation passing from person to person (or animals) and many mutate at each doubling occurrence. In other words, we should expect that several mutations coexist at a certain place, to which the vaccine is more or less effective. Just like the common annual flu vaccine where the shot is modified to fit that year's variant/mutation type, the Covid-19 vaccine will require to be altered to the most prevalent type of that particular year.

    The pharmas of present vaccines are already working towards that goal. They have synthesized the new DNA or mRNA and introduced it into their new vaccines which will be used as busters for those that took solo the first half of the present shot or at the timing of the typical annual flu shot. Clinical trials are underway.

    Please note that I am not a doctor. You should do your own researches and discuss the matter with your doctor.

    Best wishes and luck in your PCa journey.

    VGama

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,803 Member
    edited March 2021 #37

    Wait and see

    Hi there,

    I am waiting to see what happens three or four weeks after 60 - 70 % of the population is vaccinated, in theory there should be a drastic decline in the number of cases.
    The UK has done a high proportion of the 80+ population and is working on the 70+ part of the population now, now up to 9.8% of the total adult population vaccinated.
    As these are the high risk groups the line should start to fall soon.
    France is a long way behind, so we are still sitting it out, I am waiting for that cold glass of cider in the Café Le Finistère in the summer, but I might have to have it in the garden at home.

    Best wishes,

    Georges

    Pfizer

    I got Dose 1 of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday.  Zero side effects one day later.  I am auto-immune compromised  over ten years now, due to lymphoma and chemo, and also have lymphadenopathy due to a diagnosed immunological disease, so me having no side-effects is somewhat interesting.   My state of SC has only around 5.3 million people, but around 1.5 million have been vaccinated with at least Round 1, which is very roughly 30%.   (One lone hospital in Charleston has administerd 150,000 doses itself.)  Positive Covid test results are at about 3.4% statewide.   Two months ago, we were at over 20%, one of the highest in the nation.   

    Total deaths in this state, as of two days ago, is almost exactly 9,000.  Out of 5,300,000.   Statistically, zero % were patients under 50; perhaps 25 individuals.  The sky is not falling.  Bless France, the land of the best wines,

    max

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,803 Member
    edited March 2021 #38
    Grinder said:

    Feeling great!

    Just kidding

     

     

     

     

    (Just kidding)

    Vaccine

    A also am fine, following my first injection yesterday.   But my wife says I make ultrasonic bat noises in my sleep.

     

    .

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    edited April 2021 #39
    Controversy with the Astra-Zeneca AZD1222 vaccine

    It seems to me that the fast track of approval of the covid vaccines is now the cause of the controversies with the use of AZD1222 in Europe. The health administrators of several countries just decided to object the recommendations of the EU's health monitoring authority (EMA) terminating the use of the vaccine or establishing age groups  for its application based not on the 2020's agencies approvals but on the real outcomes in vaccinated population. In other words, death caused by vaccines become acceptable if many more managed to survive it.

    The newer type of vaccines that manages to counter the newer variants are still under clinical trials but again have been announced by the UK government as the option to replace the present Astra-Zeneca vaccine in shooting the youngers (<30), that have faired worse with the approved one. They refer to the AZD7442 taken by our hero Grinder above. 

    Here in Portugal, they have no alternatives and started vaccination of students with the AZD1222, that will start attending the schools. It is messy when politics get involved. 

    Meanwhile, my wife and I were vaccinated with the Pfizer mRNA two days ago. So far so good.  No symptoms or noticeable side effects. I wonder what will be used  in our second shot. 

    Best 

    VG

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,339 Member
    Congratulations Vasco

    I glad that you got the shot.

    Did you jump up and down when you heard that you were getting it. To be honest, I did!

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    edited July 2021 #41
    Vaccines effectiveness data is lower than expected

    I wonder about Grider's experience with the clinical trial on mab style vaccine AZD7442. Pharmers doing the trial have reported on this phase-3 failure informing that the vaccine did not avoid symptomatic covid infections. I hope Grinder is OK as it has passed already five months since his post informing on his participation.
    https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/news/astrazeneca-covid-drug-trial-data/

    Meanwhile the latest news from Israel regarding Pfizer 's effectiveness are not the best as it declined from 93% to 64% in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease. The number of newer covid cases in double-vaccinated people is rising, particularly accentuated since the spread of the Delta variant and the end of social distancing restrictions.
    Though the efficacy of all vaccines were similar under controlled circumstance such as in clinical trials, their effectiveness (working well in the real world) are showing differences.
    Pfizer vaccine (and probably Moderna) seams to be more effective than other vaccines on the market in preventing hospitalizations and serious illness from the coronavirus at an envy 97%. I believe that this was what health authorities around the world were expecting as it reduces the number of severe illnesses and deaths.

    Having a double-vaccine certificate allows folks to travel in the EU countries but, as the data shows, this do not guarantee that the traveler is immune to the virus or that he doesn't carry it in his baggage. Portugal permits the entrance to vaccinated visitors from almost all countries (Brazilians have to do quarantine) but those arriving in Germany from Portugal are subjected to quarantine, independently of having a negative PCR test or being vaccinated.

    It is still premature to decide on what to do. Let's keep safe maintaining distancing, using masks and washing our hands.
    Best to all
    VG

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