Monday, January 30, 2023
ISSN 2765-8767
  • Survey
  • Podcast
  • Write for Us
Daily Remedy
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Podcasts
    A conversation with Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, trauma surgeon and gun policy expert

    A conversation with Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, trauma surgeon and gun policy expert

    November 25, 2022
    A conversation with Dr. Kyle Fischer, policy director for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention

    A conversation with Dr. Kyle Fischer, policy director for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention

    November 25, 2022
    A conversation with Dr. Edwin Leap, physician writer and emergency medicine physician

    A conversation with Dr. Edwin Leap, writer and emergency medicine physician

    November 8, 2022
    A conversation with Mr. Omar M Khateeb, innovator in medical device sales

    A conversation with Mr. Omar M Khateeb, innovator in medical device sales

    October 31, 2022
    A conversation with Miss Smriti Kirubanandan, passionate healthcare strategist

    A conversation with Miss Smriti Kirubanandan, passionate healthcare strategist

    October 23, 2022
    A conversation with Mr. Michael Johnson, legal expert in physician contracts

    A conversation with Mr. Michael Johnson, legal expert in physician contracts

    October 23, 2022
  • Surveys

    Surveys

    Does inflation affect how you use your deductible?

    Does inflation affect how you use your deductible?

    by Jay K Joshi
    December 12, 2022

    Survey Resutls

    How strongly do you believe that you can tell when your provider does not trust you?

    How strongly do you believe that you can tell when your provider does not trust you?

    October 16, 2022
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Support Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Podcasts
    A conversation with Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, trauma surgeon and gun policy expert

    A conversation with Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, trauma surgeon and gun policy expert

    November 25, 2022
    A conversation with Dr. Kyle Fischer, policy director for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention

    A conversation with Dr. Kyle Fischer, policy director for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention

    November 25, 2022
    A conversation with Dr. Edwin Leap, physician writer and emergency medicine physician

    A conversation with Dr. Edwin Leap, writer and emergency medicine physician

    November 8, 2022
    A conversation with Mr. Omar M Khateeb, innovator in medical device sales

    A conversation with Mr. Omar M Khateeb, innovator in medical device sales

    October 31, 2022
    A conversation with Miss Smriti Kirubanandan, passionate healthcare strategist

    A conversation with Miss Smriti Kirubanandan, passionate healthcare strategist

    October 23, 2022
    A conversation with Mr. Michael Johnson, legal expert in physician contracts

    A conversation with Mr. Michael Johnson, legal expert in physician contracts

    October 23, 2022
  • Surveys

    Surveys

    Does inflation affect how you use your deductible?

    Does inflation affect how you use your deductible?

    by Jay K Joshi
    December 12, 2022

    Survey Resutls

    How strongly do you believe that you can tell when your provider does not trust you?

    How strongly do you believe that you can tell when your provider does not trust you?

    October 16, 2022
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Support Us
No Result
View All Result
Daily Remedy
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics & Law

Mixing and Matching Vaccines

Jay K Joshi by Jay K Joshi
October 3, 2021
in Politics & Law
0

A vaccine is never just a vaccine.

It is data, study design, and the perceived quality of data. It is complication rates and the media sensationalizing the complications. It is vaccine supplies, logistics, and distribution. And it is vaccine availability and accessibility.

It is many things, all connected through a complex web of science, policy, and politics, all fluctuating over time.

Recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced they are studying data on combining different vaccine formularies – Moderna and Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca – and will consider recommending mixed formularies based on their review.

It is an announcement coming in stark contrast to previously held positions by the CDC. For months the CDC recommended Americans only take one vaccine formulary, even if that means longer wait times.

Europe and Canada have already allowed their populations to mix vaccine formularies, despite vociferous opposition from the World Health Organization (WHO). The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, famously took a dose of AztraZeneca followed by Moderna, signaling to Canadians that mixing vaccine formularies is safe and acceptable practice.

When asked over past months whether Americans should mix vaccine formularies, domestic policy experts always pointed to data indicating that Americans should not mix formularies. Further, many of the same policy experts explained that other countries, namely Canada, recommended mixing vaccines because of supply issues.

In other words, domestic experts said Canadians mix vaccine formularies because they have supply constraints, not because the data suggests doing so.

But a study out of Spain in over 600 participants found that mixing vaccines, specifically AstraZeneca, a DNA based vaccine, with Pfizer, an RNA based vaccine, produces a commensurate, potentially accentuated immune response compared to those taking multiple doses of the same vaccine formulary.

When the study was repeated in Britain, researchers found similar immune responses, albeit with higher rates of common vaccine-related side effects.

Both studies had similar outcomes, but each study emphasized two different aspects. We can either focus on the immune build-up to advocate for vaccine mixing, or the incidence of side effects to caution against vaccine mixing.

Both arguments use data, but they emphasize different aspects of data to support their view.

In the United States, researchers are studying combinations of Moderna and Pfizer, both RNA based vaccines that have presented similar safety profiles to the FDA. And domestic policy experts studying vaccine recipients who had inadvertently received both report no major side effects.

“So I don’t anticipate that there would be any issues from a safety point of view or an efficacy point of view in terms of crossing the two RNA platforms,” says Dr. Thomas Russo, Professor and Chief of Infectious Disease at the University of Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Yet despite the multi-national studies and the anecdotal case reports, the WHO remains staunchly against vaccine mixing.

WHO scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said mixing COVID-19 vaccines is a, “dangerous trend”, when asked about mixing vaccines for booster doses. “[Mixing the vaccines could be] a chaotic situation, if citizens start deciding when and who will be taking a second, a third and a fourth dose,” she added.

It appears the WHO is against vaccine mixing not because of data, but because of how data will be used politically. The WHO has been advocating against vaccine inequities and has voiced that all nations – wealthy and poor alike – should distribute vaccines internationally relative to the incidence and economic impact of COVID-19.

Instead we see countries hoarding vaccine supplies, using them as veritable currency for broader international diplomatic relationships. Something the WHO had hoped to avoid. Yet across the world we see wealthy nations exerting influence over countries and regions debilitated by COVID-19.

All of which reveals the complex interplay of science, policies, and politics.

Data on vaccine mixing indicates it is advantageous in bolstering an equivalent if not higher immune response. But among certain populations it could result in a higher incidence of side effects, though they are limited to commonly seen adverse responses.

The data is ambiguous enough to allow for equivocating policies based upon changing interpretations among policy experts.

The equivocating policies enable politics to enter. Vaccine supply constraints are now political liabilities. Hoarding vaccines is now political capital. And vaccine inequity is the playing field for the great game of vaccine diplomacy.

All because a vaccine is never just a vaccine.

ShareTweet
Jay K Joshi

Jay K Joshi

Dr. Jay K Joshi serves as the editor-in-chief of Daily Remedy. He is a serial entrepreneur and sought after thought-leader for matters related to healthcare innovation and medical jurisprudence. He has published articles on a variety of healthcare topics in both peer-reviewed journals and trade publications. His legal writings include amicus curiae briefs prepared for prominent federal healthcare cases.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Videos

YouTube Video VVUxUDVQenU5RTFjUVFKNDY2ZlBmdFB3LmdVUm55WVpqRmNn This is a video about Elemental/Essential Frameworks of Healthcare Law

00:00 Elemental/Essential Frameworks of Healthcare Law
Load More... Subscribe

Expert vs. Lay Testimony

Visuals

NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost)

NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost)

by Jay K Joshi
January 29, 2023
0

We list the acquisition price of drugs that are covered under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program - effectively, how much does the government pay for common drugs utilized by patients on Medicaid. Drugs listed are from A-CH.  

Read more

Twitter Updates

Tweets by DailyRemedy1

Newsletter

Start your Daily Remedy journey

Cultivate your knowledge of current healthcare events and ensure you receive the most accurate, insightful healthcare news and editorials.

*we hate spam as much as you do

Popular

  • Letter to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners

    Letter to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Prosecuting Doctors as Drug Dealers

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why Our Prescribing were for Patients’ Best Interests

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • My Respect for the Law

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Malicious Prosecution and Fabrication of Evidence

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Daily Remedy

Daily Remedy offers the best in healthcare information and healthcare editorial content. We take pride in consistently delivering only the highest quality of insight and analysis to ensure our audience is well-informed about current healthcare topics - beyond the traditional headlines.

Daily Remedy website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. We do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All rights reserved.

Important Links

  • Support Us
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Newsletter

Start your Daily Remedy journey

Cultivate your knowledge of current healthcare events and ensure you receive the most accurate, insightful healthcare news and editorials.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Survey
  • Podcast
  • About Us
  • Contact us

© 2023 Daily Remedy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Contrarian
    • Financial Markets
    • Innovations & Investing
    • Perspectives
    • Politics & Law
    • Trends
    • Uncertainty & Complexity
  • Podcasts
  • Surveys
    • Survey Results
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Support Us

© 2023 Daily Remedy

Start your Daily Remedy journey

Cultivate your knowledge of current healthcare events and ensure you receive the most accurate, insightful healthcare news and editorials.

*we hate spam as much as you do