I listened to a very good interview of Nobel Prize-winning...

I listened to a very good interview of Nobel Prize-winning immunologist and former Australian of the Year, Prof Peter Doherty, with Neil Mitchell on 3AW this morning.

As an absolute insider in the field, he gave informed opinion on themes including mortality rates, current vaccine trial progress, therapeutic treatments including Remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies, advantage of therapies over vaccines, why Trump recovered quickly, and trial designs that include early data readouts.

https://www.3aw.com.au/nobel-prize-...plains-why-covid-19-fatality-rate-is-falling/

Some key points: (my comments in brackets)

1. NM: Is there any indication of the virus weakening?
PD: “No, not really . . . . It’s ramping up in the Northern hemisphere very rapidly, and in North America.”

2. Re death rates:
PD: “We are not seeing as many deaths as we were. And there are two reasons I think. Older people are being a lot more careful than they were at the beginning, so it's a younger cohort . . . The other thing is the doctors have just got better at handling it . . . They're generally saving 30 to 50 percent of those who would have died.”
(the Prof was discussing Covid mortality in general, rather than ARDS specifically, but imo his point is clear, and obviously has potential to impact both cohorts of MSB’s trial.)

3. NM: The FDA has just approved Remdesivir for broader use . . . .What are the hopes that Remdesivir can actually do something?
PD: “Remdesivir's effects are fairly marginal . . . It has a bit of effect but it's not really saving people.”

4. Re monoclonal antibodies:
PD: “They will be the best treatments we have until someone comes up with a much better drug.” (Remestemcel-l for ARDS as one possible example)

5. Re possible improved therapeutics:
PD: “I think the drug companies are making these things but they're not telling us about anything. . . They are just keeping it close to their chest I think . . . . We are hearing a lot about vaccines. We’re not hearing much about drugs. I’d like to be hearing a lot more about drugs.”

If you are attempting to keep abreast of developments in the Covid space, perhaps to assist with investment decisions in companies working in the area like MSB, CSL or ADO for example, you could do worse than find a few minutes to listen to the whole interview.

Usual bias.
Herro