# Moderna hits safety problems in bold bid to revolutionize medicine



## hollydolly (Jan 15, 2021)

An article from 2017 ...worth a read....

Founded in 2012, Moderna reached unicorn status — a $1 billion valuation — in just two years, faster than Uber, Dropbox, and Lyft, according to CB Insights. The company’s premise: Using custom-built strands of messenger RNA, known as mRNA, it aims to turn the body’s cells into ad hoc drug factories, compelling them to produce the proteins needed to treat a wide variety of diseases.

But mRNA is a tricky technology. Several major pharmaceutical companies have tried and abandoned the idea, struggling to get mRNA into cells without triggering nasty side effects.

Bancel has repeatedly promised that Moderna’s new therapies will change the world, but the company has refused to publish any data on its mRNA vehicles, sparking skepticism from some scientists and a chiding from the editors of Nature.

The indefinite delay on the Crigler-Najjar project signals persistent and troubling safety concerns for any mRNA treatment that needs to be delivered in multiple doses, covering almost everything that isn’t a vaccine, former employees and collaborators said.

The company did disclose a new technology on Monday that it says will more safely deliver mRNA. It’s called V1GL. Last month, Bancel told Forbes about another new technology, N1GL.

But in neither case has the company provided any details. And that lack of specificity has inevitably raised questions.

Three former employees and collaborators close to the process said Moderna was always toiling away on new delivery technologies in hopes of hitting on something safer than what it had. (Even Bancel has acknowledged, in an interview with Forbes, that the delivery method used in Moderna’s first vaccines “was not very good.”)

https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/10...bdXEiUxRTresn8s9Ej6CpQYAvI9FjdbufQ-Kd3b1HCPxk


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## Capt Lightning (Jan 15, 2021)

Both Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines have been approved for use.  Does this mean that they managed to crack the problems with mRNA  in the 4 years since this article was written?


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## Becky1951 (Jan 15, 2021)

Capt Lightning said:


> Both Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines have been approved for use.  Does this mean that they managed to crack the problems with mRNA  in the 4 years since this article was written?


Time will tell.


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## hollydolly (Jan 15, 2021)

Capt Lightning said:


> Both Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines have been approved for use.  Does this mean that they managed to crack the problems with mRNA  in the 4 years since this article was written?


I'm not at all convinced...


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## Murrmurr (Jan 15, 2021)

I hope they don't lose financial backing over this. Doesn't look good now but further study and testing will prove whether or not they're onto something.


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## hollydolly (Jan 15, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I hope they don't lose financial backing over this. Doesn't look good now but further study and testing will prove whether or not they're onto something.


trouble is the testing is going on _now._..on humans in the form of the covid-19 vaccine...


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## Murrmurr (Jan 15, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> trouble is the testing is going on _now._..on humans in the form of the covid-19 vaccine...


Oh. Maybe I read the article too fast.


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## MarciKS (Jan 15, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> An article from 2017 ...worth a read....
> 
> Founded in 2012, Moderna reached unicorn status — a $1 billion valuation — in just two years, faster than Uber, Dropbox, and Lyft, according to CB Insights. The company’s premise: Using custom-built strands of messenger RNA, known as mRNA, it aims to turn the body’s cells into ad hoc drug factories, compelling them to produce the proteins needed to treat a wide variety of diseases.
> 
> ...


My question is this...if these are so harmful how come not everyone is having problems with them?


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## Becky1951 (Jan 15, 2021)

MarciKS said:


> My question is this...if these are so harmful how come not everyone is having problems with them?


Compared to population, only a small amount of the population have been vaccinated so far. And not all of those vaccinated have received the second dose yet. Only time will tell.


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## MarciKS (Jan 15, 2021)

Well so far I haven't had any problems with the Pfizer one. And generally I'm allergic to almost any medicine.


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## chic (Jan 16, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> trouble is the testing is going on _now._..on humans in the form of the covid-19 vaccine...


Thanks Hols. I had so many questions re: "the vaccine" and this helps me to understand.


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## garyt1957 (Jan 16, 2021)

MarciKS said:


> My question is this...if these are so harmful how come not everyone is having problems with them?


Could be more long term problems, think years instead of weeks.


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## MarciKS (Jan 16, 2021)

garyt1957 said:


> Could be more long term problems, think years instead of weeks.


Well if I have any issues I will let everyone know.


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## chic (Jan 16, 2021)

MarciKS said:


> Well if I have any issues I will let everyone know.


I sure hope you don't.


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## StarSong (Jan 16, 2021)

My sister and DIL have both had their second shots.  No worrisome side effects beyond what they'd been warned about.


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## MarciKS (Jan 16, 2021)

StarSong said:


> My sister and DIL have both had their second shots.  No worrisome side effects beyond what they'd been warned about.


Same here.


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## MarciKS (Jan 16, 2021)

What Are The Long-Term Safety Risks Of The Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 Vaccines? (forbes.com)


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## Lakeland living (Jan 16, 2021)

Ottawa sent Moderna vaccine to the remote native lands here in Canada.


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## OneHalf (Apr 19, 2021)

Capt Lightning said:


> Both Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines have been approved for use.  Does this mean that they managed to crack the problems with mRNA  in the 4 years since this article was written?


They have not been approved. They have been given emergency use authorization. So, no.


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