Good Day BIO: Booster shots and biotech beauty

The U.S. is averaging 2,000+ COVID deaths per day—but it’s not all bad news. Here’s the latest on COVID vaccines and booster shots.

Despite rising in cases and deaths, the three vaccines approved or authorized in the United States remain “stunningly effective” against severe illness, hospitalization, and death, according to experts.

In fact, in states with high rates of vaccination, there are 50% fewer cases per capita and 80% fewer deaths than states with lower rates of vaccination, says Brown University’s Dr. Ashish K. Jha.

Now, boosters are authorized for several populations, providing additional protection for people who face higher risk of adverse effects from a breakthrough infection as well as helping us stay ahead of new variants.

Who should get a booster? If you are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the CDC recommends a booster (third) dose of the same vaccine for the following groups:

• Adults 65+
• Adults 18+ who are residents of long-term care facilities
• Adults 50-64 with certain underlying conditions who risk getting seriously ill from COVID-19

Furthermore, the CDC says the following groups may receive a Pfizer-BioNTech booster at least six months after completing the Pfizer-BioNTech primary series:

• Adults 18-40 with underlying medical conditions
• Adults 18-64 who face increased risk of exposure and transmission due to their job, such as health care professionals, teachers, and other frontline essential workers

If you got Moderna or Johnson & Johnson, CDC says to wait and see what the science tells us: “People in the recommended groups who got the Moderna or J&J/Janssen vaccine will likely need a booster shot. More data on the effectiveness and safety of Moderna and J&J/Janssen booster shots are expected soon. With those data in hand, CDC will keep the public informed with a timely plan for Moderna and J&J/Janssen booster shots.”

Do you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines? Visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org to get the answers, including to questions about boosters and vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant. 

Do you have questions about vaccines in general? Visit vaccinateyourfamily.org.

More Health Care News:

National Review (Opinion): The triumph of biotechnology and private capital
“Democrats’ plans to boost capital-gains taxes may discourage future innovation,” writes Chris Edwards, Director of Tax-Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. 

Amyris partnered with celebrity hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness of “Queer Eye” to launch clean and sustainable haircare products—the latest beauty innovation made with synthetic biology. 

Amyris and Jonathan Van Ness launched a line of haircare products utilizing Hemisqualane, Amyris’s plant-based molecule that’s an “effective, clean, superior product to silicone.” (You can get the products here.)

Using synthetic biology, or synbio, the BIO member company turns renewable sugarcane into squalane, a replica of squalene, a skin moisturizer produced naturally by humans (and sharks).

Amyris' plant-based personal care products range from hand sanitizers to Reese Witherspoon’s favorite vitamin C serum. 

It’s not the only biotech beauty partnership we’ve seen recently. LanzaTech will use their carbon-capture technology to create sustainable ethanol for perfumes in partnership with Coty.

Biotech’s getting into fashion, too—from LanzaTech making the world’s first yarn and fabric using recycled carbon emissions and Genomatica making bio-based nylon, both for lululemon, to Crocs announcing they will make their shoes with a biobased material made from renewable resources and waste products, in collaboration with Dow.

Listen: Sustainable fashion experts joined the I am BIO Podcast to discuss how biotech is revolutionizing fashion—from using greenhouse gases to make new materials, to creating entirely biodegradable clothing. Listen at www.bio.org/podcast or Apple, Google, or Spotify.



Additional Agriculture & Environment News:

SAB Biotherapeutics: SAB Biotherapeutics Announces Positive DSMB Review and Advances to Phase 3 in Trial for Treatment of COVID-19
SAB Biotherapeutics today announced that an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has completed its prespecified interim analysis data review of the safety and efficacy of SAB-185 in the Phase 2 portion of the ACTIV-2 trial and has recommended advancement to Phase 3. 

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Antonia Novello was both the first Hispanic person and the first woman to serve in the role. Prior to her appointment, she was deputy director of NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She later became a representative of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), continuing her work in public health advocacy.

Meet more Hispanic and Latinx scientists and innovators you should know.

President Biden’s Monday: So far, it’s looking like a quieter Monday. Ahead of an important week of votes on Capitol Hill, Axios looks at the outlook for some of Biden’s key health care, infrastructure, and education priorities. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Washington’s on shutdown watch as Congress has just a few days left to fund the government by September 30 (Thursday). Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote on infrastructure on Thursday, per POLITICO. Meanwhile, STAT News has an update (for subscribers) on where things stand on drug pricing.