The coronavirus fear has become palpable.
Businesses and schools around the world are closing down. Global indices are plunging. Sports and concert events are being canceled.
And, as the number of U.S. cases jumps to 3,485 with 88 deaths, fear has only grown worse. It’s why President Trump just released a new series of guidelines to slow the spread of the virus that calls for the lockdown of America, including closing restaurants and schools for the next 15 days. At the same time, Trump said his administration may look at lockdowns for “certain areas” or “hot spots” in the nation, reports CNBC.
At the same time, the global community is in a race against the clock for a vaccine. Especially after 18 more people died in the U.S. in a single day.
That said, here are some of the top companies racing to produce a vaccine.
Coronavirus Vaccine Stock No. 1 – Moderna Inc. (MRNA)
Moderna just dosed the first patient in a Phase I study being conducted by the National Institutes of Health. “This study is the first step in the clinical development of an mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, and we expect it to provide important information about safety and immunogenicity,” Moderna’s chief medical officer, Tal Zaks, said, as quoted by Barron’s.
If we see success from the trial, we could see higher highs for MRNA.
Coronavirus Vaccine Stock No. 2 – Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN)
Regeneron and Sanofi just started a clinical trial to evaluate an experimental treatment for coronavirus patients. According to Fox Business, “The companies initiated a global testing program for Kevzara, a fully-human monoclonal antibody that is already approved to treat adults with rheumatoid arthritis, in up to 400 patients.”
Coronavirus Vaccine Stock No. 3 – BioNTech (BNTX)Shares of BNTX are higher on news that it and Pfizer have entered the race to develop a vaccine. The two are reportedly entering clinical trials next month. “We believe that by pairing Pfizer’s development, regulatory and commercial capabilities with BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine technology and expertise as one of the industry leaders, we are reinforcing our commitment to do everything we can to combat this escalating pandemic, as quickly as possible,” Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer said, as quoted by Barron’s.
