ACSH advisor Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke and I published an opinion piece in the Baltimore Sun emphasizing that, even though vaccines for COVID-19 have been dominating the news, it is not unlikely that a drug or combination of drugs may prove to be a better (and quicker) solution. Following is a section of the op-ed and a link to the original piece.
Based on the sheer volume of news coverage alone, it would be reasonable to conclude that it is only a matter of time until one or more vaccines to tame SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, become available. We disagree. There is no guarantee that such a vaccine will ever be discovered, much less be effective or safe. It is more likely, given advances in the design of antiviral drugs, that a drug (or cocktail of drugs) could sufficiently inhibit the replication of the virus and transform COVID-19 from a killer to a non-newsworthy, easily treatable, mild infection.
Vaccine science is notoriously unpredictable. Despite decades of research, there is still no vaccine to prevent viral infections like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, herpes simplex, Zika, West Nile or norovirus (the “stomach flu” that continues to perpetually plague the cruise ship industry).
Reprinted with permission of the Baltimore Sun. The original opinion piece can be found here.
Josh Bloom
Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science
Dr. Josh Bloom, the Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science, comes from the world of drug discovery, where he did research for more than 20 years. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry.
