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Clinical Trials

Writer's picture: Peter K F Cheung SBSPeter K F Cheung SBS
  1. FADE IN.


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. STUDY - DAY


  4. PETER is watching TV news. We hear:...punishing China for its actions in Hong Kong...


  5. PETER (V.O.): This is arrogant. Sovereign equality has long been the sacrosanct foundation of international law. And States shouldn't interfere in each other's internal affairs.


  6. On screen, we see and hear a Chinese LADY speaking through an interpreter: ...Sanctions?....China is not afraid of them...If US wants to make a storm, then just let the storm rage with greater force.


  7. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hong Kong is like a clinic, and its residents have been subject to all kinds of trials, from civil and political issues to economic, social and cultural ones.


  8. Peter checks phone notifications.


  9. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Many Quorans have been asking my opinions about the US CONVID-19 pandemic trend.


  10. Pausing.


  11. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I feel the sense of desperation as my answers attract lots of views quickly.


  12. Pausing.


  13. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I don't have a crystal ball. But basing on available information and my critical analysis, I can be predictive.


  14. Act 2


  15. INT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS


  16. Peter is reading something on his phone screen.


  17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Asking my view on the statement?


  18. We see on the screen the quote: "I do think the fall and the winter of the 2020 and 2021 are going to be the probably one of the most difficult times that we experienced in American public health."


  19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He's US administration's disease expert. I'm not. As to his logic, his prediction is based on past experience.


  20. Pausing.


  21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For the US administration, there's no harm for him to lower the American public's expectations so that there will be fewer disappointments.


  22. Thinking.


  23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But his inference is based on the assumption that there won't be any supervening event that would disrupt the foreseen difficult times.


  24. Thinking.


  25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The possible availability of a quality, safe, efficacious and effective vaccine in America will be the critical solution to their critical problem.


  26. Peter surfs the web.


  27. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): See how close is America to a vaccine...


  28. Reading.


  29. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): After basic research (eg genetic sequencing of the coronavirus) and drug discovery processes, a candidate vaccine will undergo pre-clinical and clinical trials before it may become an approved vaccine for general use.


  30. Reading.


  31. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There're now 138 candidate vaccines at the Pre-clinical stage ie not yet in human trials. The researchers administers the vaccine to animals and see if it triggers any immunity response eg producing neutralizing antibodies and T-cells which can bind to and kill the infected cell.


  32. Reading.


  33. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There' re now 17 candidate vaccines in Phase 1 ie in small-scale safety trials. The vaccine is injected to 20-100 volunteer healthy humans in controlled groups to determine its safety, dose-ranging (eg 25, 100, 250 micrograms per shots, 28 days apart) and adverse reactions eg from fever to death. The approximate success rate is about 70%.


  34. Reading.


  35. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There're now 9 candidate vaccines in Phase 2 ie in expanded efficacy (controlled environment) trials. The vaccine is given to 100-300 volunteer patients to test its efficacy and side effects. The approximate success rate is about 33%.


  36. Reading.


  37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There're now 3 candidate vaccines in Phase 3 ie in large-scale safety, efficacy and effectiveness (real environment) trials. The vaccine is given to 300-30,000 volunteer patients to confirm its safety, efficacy, effectiveness. The approximate success rate is 25-30%


  38. Reading.


  39. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The next and final step is to submit the candidate vaccine to the relevant authority for approval of it for general use.


  40. Reading.


  41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The approving authority may require a 2-year Phase 4 post-marketing trial to detect long-term adverse effects over a much larger patient population and longer time period.


  42. Reading.


  43. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As a result of the safety surveillance, there are approved drugs no longer sold or restricted to certain uses.


  44. Thinking.


  45. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Well, the road is long...


  46. A TV news story reporting a candidate vaccine from US has got positive results in Phase 2 trial, and the feedback from someone:...extremely hopeful...


  47. Peter looks out of the window.


  48. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There might be light in the next couple of months.


  49. Peter types on his phone.


  50. Act 3


  51. INT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS


  52. A TV news story about US marines spreading CONVID-19 in Okinawa. We hear:...they're arrogant...as if they're the colonial masters.


  53. PETER (V.O.): That's the American mindset. Politics aside, let me examine further the CONVID-19 vaccine race.


  54. Reading.


  55. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For the 3 candidate vaccines in Phase 3 now, two are from China. While one has been already approved for military use in China, the other is being tested in Brazil.


  56. A TV story catches Peter's attention.


  57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The remaining UK-led one will release the clinical data next week.


  58. Thinking.


  59. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What if China is the first country in the world to have the vaccine that does produce good immunity system response and works in the real world?


  60. Pausing.


  61. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meaning: the vaccine prevents infection completely, and not just to stop people from falling ill but allow them to pass the coronavirus on.


  62. Pondering.


  63. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And what will be the priority for the distribution of the CONVID-19 vaccine from China's perspective?


  64. Pausing.


  65. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As part of China, Hong Kong doesn't have to worry that it won't get an equitable share.


  66. THE END


  67. FADE OUT.


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