What to know ahead of FDA’s Pfizer/BioNTech meeting

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a public advisory committee meeting today to discuss emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath appeared on MSNBC to discuss the meeting and what happens next.

It’s expected that the FDA will recommend emergency use authorization, based on documents released ahead of the meeting, per STAT News. 

The vaccine shows 95% efficacy—and “performed just as well in all racial and ethnic groups as well as all age groups and those with other preexisting conditions” with “very low rates of adverse events,” said Dr. Michelle.

What happens next? After a final review of prioritization policies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this weekend, the government and states will likely be able to begin administering the vaccine to the phase 1a group: health care workers and residents of long-term health facilities. 

When can I get the vaccine? We’ll likely see vaccinations of the general population starting in the spring of 021—but “we still have a long way to go,” added Dr. Michelle. 

What should I do in the meantime? “It’s so important that everyone remember that our public health guidelines are still our best protection,” she said. “Stay home, don’t travel, use social distancing, wear your masks.” 

Watch the whole interview. 

Want to know more about the COVID-19 vaccine development process? Visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org.

More Health Care News:

AbbVie: AbbVie announces partners in $50 million program to promote health and education equity in underserved Black communities
“AbbVie will collaborate with six nonprofit partners, including Direct Relief, University of Chicago Medicine's Urban Health Initiative, National Urban League, Year Up, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and Providence St. Mel School, to support health and education opportunity in underserved Black communities.” 

Bloomberg: U.S. vaccine-delivery hope rests on J&J, Astra approvals in 2021
“AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson together would provide 150 million to 200 million shots in the first quarter, said Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific officer of Operation Warp Speed.” 

Reuters: Inovio doses first volunteer as part of its COVID-19 vaccine mid-stage trial
“The Phase 2 portion of the Phase 2/3 study will enroll about 400 participants who are 18 years or older, to assess the vaccine’s ability to produce immune response and to determine the appropriate doses for a later study, the company said.”

Hanukkah begins tonight—and Christmas, Kwanzaa, and other seasonal celebrations are right around the corner. But the holiday season—and particularly holiday gifting—means more plastic waste. BIO’s Cornelia Poku explains how you can make your gifting more sustainable with biotechnology.

Three biotech gifts to look for: 

1. Practical plastic alternatives
After spending months at home, anyone would appreciate new, practical items for the home made from bioplastics or other renewable materials—including cups and drinking straws, cutlery, toothbrushes, and more. Keep an eye on Danimer Scientific, which has teamed up with Bacardi to make a biodegradable liquor bottle—how about eco-friendly eggnog with a bioplastic straw?

2. Sustainable style
From biotech company Newlight Technologies, Covalent turns carbon from greenhouse gasses  into sunglasses, purses, wallets, and phone cases. “This innovative method cuts the need to source virgin materials such as oil for plastic and actually helps remove pollution from the atmosphere!” says Cornelia. 

Other companies repurpose existing materials that would normally head to landfills to make items such as headphones from reclaimed wood and sturdy bags made from repurposed billboard vinyl.

3. Biobased beauty
“Thankfully, cosmetics, perfumes, moisturizers, and even shampoos can be made with sustainable ingredients thanks to advances in biotechnology,” she says. “That means they’re often less toxic and carry a smaller environmental footprint than their traditional counterparts.” Check out the moisturizers and hand sanitizers made with sugarcane-derived squalene from Amyris, which helps balance the skin’s oils while being better for the planet. 

Read the whole thing—and tell us what biotech-derived gifts your giving this holiday season!

More Agriculture and Environment News: 

The New York Times: Xavier Becerra brings environmental justice to forefront
Biden’s “choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services is the first state attorney general to create an environmental justice bureau.”

When Ndongo Khouma was a teenager, he watched his grandmother pass away after being sick.

“Her medication was a burden on the family—it was hard to get,” he said. “Her doctor wasn’t always available because it was the only doctor in the rural town that we lived in.”

“I could tie her death to health care inequity and unmet medical needs.”

But this experience inspired him to get into biotechnology. Now, as a validation engineer at Genentech, he works to improve health care access for others—and save lives. 

Watch Ndongo tell his story.

Visit www.bio.org/iambio to learn more and share your story!

President Trump’s Thursday: Having lunch with 10 Republican state attorneys general—including several backing his election challenge—then delivering remarks at the Congressional Ball at the White House.

President-elect Biden’s Thursday: He plans to name House Ways and Means Committee trade lawyer Katherine Tai as U.S. trade representative, reports POLITICO. Meanwhile, the Ag CEO Council (which includes BIO) presented agriculture priorities to the transition team. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The House passed the one-week stopgap spending bill yesterday and the Senate’s expected to take it up today, reports POLITICO.