Week of Sept 10, 2021 Weekly Recap & The Week Ahead
“In business, financial and market cycles, most excesses on the upside — and the inevitable reactions to the downside, which also tend to overshoot — are the result of exaggerated swings of the pendulum of psychology. Thus understanding and being alert to excessive swings is an entry-level requirement for avoiding harm from cyclical extremes, and hopefully for profiting from them.” ― Howard Marks
1. Moderna Unveils Experimental Two-in-One Vaccine for Covid and the Flu — Moderna plans to announce the development of a vaccine candidate that will protect against Covid-19 and the flu, to be known as mRNA-1073. The company will also announce a pediatric vaccine called mRNA-1365, which combines its experimental respiratory syncytial virus vaccine with its experimental human metapneumovirus vaccine. The company also said it would discuss new data from a Phase 1 study of its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. The company said interim data from the study showed that a single vaccination with the vaccine, known as mRNA-1345, boosted neutralizing antibody titers against the RSV-A virus by 14 times, and against the RSV-B virus by 10 times. The company tested three different dose levels, but said that there wasn’t a significant difference in antibody response between dose levels.
2. Biden Administration Unveils Plan to Cut Prescription-Drug Prices — a Biden administration plan to lower prescription-drug prices offers the first detailed road map of administrative actions the White House would support in addition to legislation aimed at driving down costs. Administrative measures include testing reimbursement for drugs in Medicare based on the clinical value they provide to patients and offering federal funding for research into new treatments.
3. The Flu Is Expected to Make a Comeback This Year, Threatening Hospitals Strained by Delta — the coming flu season is on track to be much worse than the last cycle, according to health experts, who fear an influx of cases could further strain hospitals already overwhelmed by the Delta surge.
The season could also strike earlier and more severely than usual, doctors and researchers said, because many people haven’t been able to build up their natural immune defenses while working from home and avoiding strangers. Many children will be back in school where they can pick up and spread infections, the health experts said. Many adults aren’t working in their offices where they typically get flu shots, or they don’t want another vaccination after getting their Covid-19 doses. And many people will no longer be protected by masking and other Covid-19 restrictions that have been eased.
The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com:
