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Just jumping in to say that the successes of Pfizer/Moderna/AstraZeneca et al may have primed us to think that vaccines are usually successful but the reality is that these are the exceptions (happy ones!) [0] . I can't find the exact source but most clinical trials don't even move to Phase-3. So failures like CureVac - while sad news indeed - happen :(

[0]https://www.centerwatch.com/articles/12702-new-mit-study-put...

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I wonder if it's possible that CureVac had to take some extra risks to be competitive this late in the race. With the Pfeizer/Moderna results already in, may be they aimed to deliver a lower dose vaccine with less side effects that would be more desirable, but that didn't pay off.

Vaccines usually are successful (like 80% in phase 3 make it out?) - it’s cancer drugs that ruin the averages since they are very common and never work.

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