Arthur Allen

Author's posts

Eureka! Two Vaccines Work — But What About the Also-Rans in the Pharma Arms Race?

How two effective vaccines on the market make it so much harder to quickly test any competing vaccines.

Pediatricians Want Kids to Be Part of COVID Vaccine Trials

Some years from now, infants and school-aged children will probably be the mainstay of a universal vaccination program against COVID-19 in the United States. But first, doctors want to be sure that newfangled vaccines won’t harm them.

Government-Funded Scientists Laid the Groundwork for Billion-Dollar Vaccines

Drugmakers will walk away with massive profits, but much of the pioneering work on mRNA vaccines was done with government money.

Five Important Questions About Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The drugmaker says its mRNA vaccine worked in 90% of patients in its trial, but some observers question how long immunity will last and who will benefit.

LA Hospital Seeks Vaccine Trial Participants Among Its Own High-Risk Patients

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center serves patients who are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus: They are essential workers, have chronic diseases and are members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. When the safety-net hospital kicks off enrollment for its COVID-19 vaccine trial Wednesday, it will look to those patients to participate.

Trust, Fear and Solidarity Will Determine the Success of a COVID Vaccine

Polio terrified Americans, and in 1955, when Jonas Salk’s vaccine became available, they snapped it up like candy. Sixty-five years later, COVID is the latest dread virus, but many undercurrents could inhibit its acceptance.

Public Health Experts Fear a Hasty FDA Signoff on Vaccine

The FDA must approve any coronavirus vaccine before it’s widely distributed, but political pressure could cloud the decision.

Analysis: Get Ready For The Vaccine — They’re Never Simple

Trials are an immense undertaking involving tens of thousands of participants. They’re likely to start this summer — but don’t expect quick results. And what’s a successful result, anyway?