Biology Digest

Let the games begin. Yes, it's a signal for the start of the Olympics. But it's also a call to arms for the next-gen pneumococcal vaccine race. A month after Pfizer gained an approval for its pneumococcal shot, Merck has done the same.   With Friday’s FDA  nod  for Vaxneuvance, Merck has answered Pfizer, whose Prevnar 20 vaccine scored an approval from the U.S. regulator on June 8. Both approvals are for adults. The companies are now set to embark on a high-stakes market clash, with billions of dollars on the line. Both of the next-gen shots offer improved protection against bacteria that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and blood infections. While Vaxneuvance defends against 15 different strains of the bacterium, Pfizer’s shot targets 20, seven more than its current blockbuster Prevnar 13, which rang up $5.95 billion in sales in 2020.  In phase 2 and 3 trials, Merck's Vaxneuvance delivered immune responses superior to Prevnar 13 in the shared serotype 3 and for the two sero

A  CNN  analyst called on  Fox News  host  Tucker Carlson  to reveal whether or not he has been vaccinated after using his platform to spread misinformation about  coronavirus vaccines . Medical analyst Dr Jonathan Reiner called Carlson a "saboteur" for his comments, saying he was "sick of his nonsense." During the programme, host  Jim Acosta  introduced a clip of Carlson claiming that unless people "resist" they will be forced to get the vaccine. “Tucker Carlson received blowback and rightly so over this anti-vaccine rhetoric he’s been engaging in,” he said. “I honestly don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but is this part of the problem, in terms of getting people vaccinated?” Thus far there has been no push for legislation making the vaccine mandatory. “Yeah, so I think he’s really a saboteur,” Dr Reiner said. “That’s what I think of Tucker Carlson.” He pointed out that Carlson often justifies his skepticism as him "just asking questions,&q