GeoVax Receives USPTO Notice of Allowance for Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Vaccine Patent
Continues to Strengthen Its Pandemic Preparedness and Biodefense Vaccine Portfolio
ATLANTA, GA - April 9, 2025 ( NEWMEDIAWIRE) - GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a biotechnology company developing immunotherapies and vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for Patent Application No. 18/394,555 titled 'Replication-Deficient Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) Expressing Marburg Virus Glycoprotein (GP) and Matrix Protein (VP40).' The allowed claims generally cover prevention of Marburg virus infection utilizing GeoVax's proprietary MVA-based Marburg vaccine.
Previous presentations of data from nonhuman primate studies demonstrated that immunization with GeoVax's vaccine candidate, GEO-MM01, conferred 80% survival in cynomolgus macaques following a lethal dose of Marburg virus. Vaccination protected from viremia, weight loss and death following challenge with a lethal Marburg virus dose. Evaluation of immune responses following vaccination demonstrated the presence of both neutralizing antibodies and functional T cells, indicating a breadth of responses that combine for optimal protection. GeoVax is currently evaluating study designs to assess the potential for administering different dose levels of the vaccine and different routes of vaccine delivery to optimize utility and efficacy.
David Dodd, GeoVax President and CEO, commented, 'While our focus and development priorities continue to be our next-generation COVID-19 vaccine, our Mpox/smallpox vaccine and cancer immunotherapy programs, developing vaccines against lethal hemorrhagic fever viruses represents our commitment to addressing highly fatal endemic threats throughout the world. Such viruses have mortality rates between 50%-90% depending on the specific virus strain. Our team is committed to supporting the successful advancement of such a vaccine, as we recognize the critically important medical and biodefense need, reflected by the inclusion of Marburg virus in the FDA Priority Review Voucher program. Within the critically needed area of hemorrhagic fever viruses, GeoVax has successfully developed vaccine candidates addressing Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Marburg, all having demonstrated impressive results when evaluated in non-human primates. The USPTO's recognition of our Marburg vaccine technology further validates our approach and underscores the growing value of our wholly owned, co-owned, and in-licensed intellectual property estate, now standing at over 135 granted or pending patent applications spread over 23 patent families.'
Dodd continued, 'Our focus extends beyond individual product candidates—we are building a broad, durable defense platform against hemorrhagic fever viruses. We believe this strategy, supported by compelling preclinical data and prioritized by global health authorities, positions GeoVax to play a central role in pandemic preparedness and biodefense.'
About Marburg Virus
Marburg virus (MARV) is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the Filoviridae family, which also includes Ebola virus, and causes severe human disease with up to a 90% fatality rate. The Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats, and human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with bodily fluids, or contaminated surfaces and materials. MARV is rated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Risk Group 4 Pathogen. In the United States, the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ranks it as a Category A Priority Pathogen and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists it as a Category A Bioterrorism Agent. MARV typically appears in sporadic outbreaks throughout Africa and the virus continues to pose potential public health and biodefense threats. There are currently no licensed vaccines or therapeutics against the diseases caused by MARV.
About the GeoVax MVA Platform
GeoVax's vaccine platform utilizes modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA), a large virus capable of carrying several vaccine antigens, that expresses proteins that assemble into virus-like particles (VLP) immunogens in the person receiving the vaccine. The production of VLPs in the person being vaccinated can mimic the virus production that occurs in a natural infection, stimulating both the humoral and cellular arms of the immune system to recognize, prevent, and control the target infection. The MVA-VLP derived vaccines can elicit durable immune responses in the host similar to a live-attenuated virus, while providing the safety characteristics of a replication-defective vector.
About GeoVax
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines for many of the world's most threatening infectious diseases and therapies for solid tumor cancers. The company's lead clinical program is GEO-CM04S1, a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine for which GeoVax was recently awarded a BARDA-funded contract to sponsor a 10,000-participant Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of GEO-CM04S1 versus an approved COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, GEO-CM04S1 is currently in three Phase 2 clinical trials, being evaluated as (1) a primary vaccine for immunocompromised patients such as those suffering from hematologic cancers and other patient populations for whom the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are insufficient, (2) a booster vaccine in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and (3) a more robust, durable COVID-19 booster among healthy patients who previously received the mRNA vaccines. In oncology the lead clinical program is evaluating a novel oncolytic solid tumor gene-directed therapy, Gedeptin(R), having recently completed a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial for advanced head and neck cancers. A Phase 2 clinical trial in first recurrent head and neck cancer, evaluating Gedeptin(R) combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor is planned. GeoVax has a strong IP portfolio in support of its technologies and product candidates, holding worldwide rights for its technologies and products. The Company has a leadership team who have driven significant value creation across multiple life science companies over the past several decades. For more information about the current status of our clinical trials and other updates, visit our website: www.geovax.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax's business plans. The words 'believe,' 'look forward to,' 'may,' 'estimate,' 'continue,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'should,' 'plan,' 'could,' 'target,' 'potential,' 'is likely,' 'will,' 'expect' and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax's immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax's viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax's immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax's vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax's immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax's products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.
Further information on our risk factors is contained in our periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
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Business Upturn
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- Business Upturn
European Medicines Agency Recommends Market Approval of AVT06, Alvotech's Proposed Biosimilar to Eylea® (aflibercept)
REYKJAVIK, Iceland and LONDON, June 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alvotech (NASDAQ: ALVO), a global biotech company specializing in the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide and Advanz Pharma, a UK headquartered global pharmaceutical company with a strategic focus on specialty, hospital, and rare disease medicines in Europe, today announced that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion recommending approval for AVT06, Alvotech's proposed biosimilar to Eylea® (aflibercept 2 mg). Based on a positive recommendation by CHMP, biosimilar medicines can be approved by the European Commission for marketing in the European Economic Area, that includes the 27 member states of the European Union, in addition to Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. 'CHMP's positive opinion takes us a step closer to being able to market our proposed biosimilar in Europe, which is excellent news for patients and their caregivers. Alvotech looks forward to increasing access to this vital biologic treatment for eye disorders,' said Joseph McClellan, Chief Scientific Officer of Alvotech. Advertisement 'We are pleased with the CHMP's positive opinion, which marks an important milestone in our mission to bring high-quality, specialist medicines to patients across Europe,' said Nick Warwick, Chief Medical Officer of Advanz Pharma. The CHMP opinion recommends granting of a marketing authorization for AVT06 intended for the treatment of adults with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (branch RVO or central RVO), visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema (DME) and visual impairment due to myopic choroidal neovascularisation (myopic CNV). Alvotech is responsible for the development and commercial supply of the proposed biosimilar. Advanz Pharma is responsible for registration and has exclusive commercialization rights for most countries in Europe. In 2024, global sales of Eylea® were about US$9 billion, and one third of these sales were in Europe [1]. In January 2024 Alvotech announced positive top-line results from a confirmatory clinical study with AVT06 (AVT06-GL-C01) comparing the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the proposed biosimilar to Eylea® in patients with neovascular (wet) AMD. The study met its primary endpoint, with results demonstrating therapeutic equivalence between Alvotech's biosimilar candidate and Eylea® [2]. Alvotech is also developing AVT29, a proposed biosimilar to Eylea® HD, a higher dose (aflibercept 8 mg) aflibercept. Advanz has licensed the distribution rights from Alvotech for both biosimilar candidates, for the same territory. About AVT06 (aflibercept) AVT06 is a recombinant fusion protein and a biosimilar candidate to Eylea® (aflibercept), which binds vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), inhibiting the binding and activation of VEGF receptors, neovascularization, and vascular permeability [3]. AVT06 is an investigational product and has not received regulatory approval in any country. Biosimilarity has not been established by regulatory authorities and is not claimed. Sources [1] Global Data and IQVIA [2] Agostini, H. (2025). A randomized, double-masked parallel-group, multicenter clinical study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the biosimilar candidate AVT06 compared to the reference product aflibercept in participants with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 1–15. [3] Use of trademarks Elyea® is a registered trademark of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Bayer AG. About Alvotech Alvotech is a biotech company, founded by Robert Wessman, focused solely on the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide. Alvotech seeks to be a global leader in the biosimilar space by delivering high quality, cost-effective products, and services, enabled by a fully integrated approach and broad in-house capabilities. Alvotech's current pipeline includes eight disclosed biosimilar candidates aimed at treating autoimmune disorders, eye disorders, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, and cancer. Alvotech has formed a network of strategic commercial partnerships to provide global reach and leverage local expertise in markets that include the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and other Asian countries and large parts of South America, Africa and the Middle East. Alvotech's commercial partners include Teva Pharmaceuticals, a US affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (US), STADA Arzneimittel AG (EU), Fuji Pharma Co., Ltd (Japan), Advanz Pharma (EEA, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Cipla/Cipla Gulf/Cipla Med Pro (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa/Africa), JAMP Pharma Corporation (Canada), Yangtze River Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (China), DKSH (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan), YAS Holding LLC (Middle East and North Africa), Abdi Ibrahim (Turkey), Kamada Ltd. (Israel), Mega Labs, Stein, Libbs, Tuteur and Saval (Latin America) and Lotus Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and South Korea). Each commercial partnership covers a unique set of product(s) and territories. Except as specifically set forth therein, Alvotech disclaims responsibility for the content of periodic filings, disclosures and other reports made available by its partners. For more information, please visit . None of the information on the Alvotech website shall be deemed part of this press release. About Advanz Pharma Partner of choice in specialty, hospital, and rare disease medicines. Advanz Pharma is a global pharmaceutical company with the purpose to improve patients' lives by providing and enhancing the specialty, hospital, and rare disease medicines they depend on. Our headquarters are in London, UK. We have commercial sales in more than 90 countries globally and have a direct commercial presence in more than 20 countries, including key countries in Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia, a Centre of Excellence in Mumbai, India, as well as an established global distribution and commercialization partner network. Advanz Pharma's product portfolio and pipeline comprises innovative medicines, biosimilars & specialty generics, and originator brands. Our products cover a broad range of therapeutic areas, including hepatology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, anti-infectives, critical care, endocrinology, oncology, CNS, and, more broadly, rare disease medicines. Our ambition is to be a partner of choice for the commercialization of specialty, hospital, and rare disease medicines in Europe, Canada, and Australia. In line with our ambition, we are partnering with biopharma and development companies to bring medicines to patients. We can only achieve this due to our dedicated and highly qualified employees, acting in line with our company values of entrepreneurship, speed, and integrity. Alvotech Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication may be considered 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the future financial or operating performance of Alvotech and may include, for example, Alvotech's expectations regarding future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures, competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities including pipeline product development, future plans and intentions, results, level of activities, performance, goals or achievements or other future events, regulatory review and interactions, the satisfactory responses to the FDA's inspection findings and resolution of other deficiencies conveyed following the re-inspection of Alvotech's manufacturing site, the potential approval, including for AVT02, AVT04, and the product candidates in scope of the partnership with Advanz, by the FDA and other regulatory agencies and commercial launch of its product candidates, the timing of the announcement of clinical study results, the commencement of patient studies, regulatory applications, approvals and market launches, and the estimated size of the total addressable market of Alvotech's pipeline products. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as 'may', 'should', 'expect', 'intend', 'will', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'believe', 'predict', 'potential' or 'continue', or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Alvotech and its management, are inherently uncertain and are inherently subject to risks, variability, and contingencies, many of which are beyond Alvotech's control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) the ability to reach development milestones under commercial partnership agreements including the partnership with Advanz; (2) the ability to raise substantial additional funding, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (3) the ability to maintain stock exchange listing; (4) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (5) the possibility that Alvotech may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (6) Alvotech's estimates of expenses and profitability; (7) Alvotech's ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize the products and product candidates in its pipeline; (8) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to respond to inspection findings and resolve deficiencies to the satisfaction of the regulators; (9) actions of regulatory authorities, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical studies or future regulatory approvals or marketing authorizations; (10) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to enroll and retain patients in clinical studies; (11) the ability of Alvotech or its partners, including Advanz, to gain approval from regulators for planned clinical studies, study plans or sites; (12) the ability of Alvotech's partners to conduct, supervise and monitor existing and potential future clinical studies, which may impact development timelines and plans; (13) Alvotech's ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval or authorizations of its products, including the timing or likelihood of expansion into additional markets or geographies; (14) the success of Alvotech's current and future collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships or licensing arrangements, including the partnership with Advanz; (15) Alvotech's ability, and that of its commercial partners, including Advanz, to execute their commercialization strategy for approved products; (16) Alvotech's ability to manufacture sufficient commercial supply of its approved products; (17) the outcome of ongoing and future litigation regarding Alvotech's products and product candidates; (18) the potential impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the FDA's review timelines, including its ability to complete timely inspection of manufacturing sites; (19) the impact of worsening macroeconomic conditions, including rising inflation and interest rates and general market conditions, war in Ukraine and global geopolitical tension, and the ongoing and evolving COVID-19 pandemic on the Alvotech's business, financial position, strategy and anticipated milestones; and (20) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled 'Risk Factors' and 'Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements' in documents that Alvotech may from time to time file or furnish with the SEC. There may be additional risks that Alvotech does not presently know or that Alvotech currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Alvotech does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements or to inform the recipient of any matters of which any of them becomes aware of which may affect any matter referred to in this communication. Alvotech disclaims any and all liability for any loss or damage (whether foreseeable or not) suffered or incurred by any person or entity as a result of anything contained or omitted from this communication and such liability is expressly disclaimed. The recipient agrees that it shall not seek to sue or otherwise hold Alvotech or any of its directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, advisors, or representatives liable in any respect for the provision of this communication, the information contained in this communication, or the omission of any information from this communication. Advanz Pharma Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as 'anticipate', 'expectation', 'belief', 'estimate', 'plan', 'target', 'project', 'will', 'may', 'should' or 'forecast' and similar expressions, or by their context. Although Advanz Pharma believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial consequences of the plans and events described herein. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors (including, but not limited to, future global economic conditions, changed market conditions affecting the industry, intense competition in the markets in which Advanz Pharma operates, costs of compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards, diverse political, legal, economic and other conditions affecting Advanz Pharma's markets, and other factors beyond the control of Advanz Pharma. Neither Advanz Pharma nor any of its directors, officers, employees, advisors, or any other person is under any obligation to update or keep current the information contained in this press release or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak of the date of this press release. Statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or events should not be taken as a representation that such trends or events will continue in the future. No obligation is assumed to update any forward-looking statements. The information contained in this press release is provided as at the date of this document and is subject to change without notice. MEDIA CONTACTS Alvotech Global Communications and Investor Relations Benedikt Stefansson [email protected] Advanz Pharma Global Corporate Communications Courtney Baines [email protected] Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Can Investing $10,000 in Quantum Computing (QUBT) Stock Turn Into $1 Million by 2035?
Quantum Computing would need to deliver a CAGR of roughly 58.49% to turn $10,000 into $1 million by 2035. Explosive growth in the photonic integrated circuit market could help the company achieve this goal. However, the probability that Quantum Computing will be a millionaire-maker in 10 years is still low. 10 stocks we like better than Quantum Computing › Quantum Computing (NASDAQ: QUBT) is an up-and-coming pioneer in the red-hot field of quantum computing. Could investing $10,000 in this stock turn into $1 million by 2035? It's possible, but the odds are stacked against it. That said, I think there is a viable path for Quantum Computing to make you a millionaire over the next 10 years. Here's what would be required. Quantum Computing's market cap currently hovers around $2.66 billion. Its share price was $18.88 at the market close on June 20, 2025. An investment of $10,000 would buy 529 shares at that price, with $12.48 left over. The company's share price would need to grow 100x to $1,888 for a $10,000 initial investment (assuming you didn't buy any fractional shares) to be worth $1 million in a decade. That reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 58.49%. Quantum Computing has certainly demonstrated that it can deliver a much greater annual return than that over the short term. Over the last 12 months, the stock has skyrocketed by more than 3,000%. Sustaining a CAGR of 58.49% over 10 years is a daunting task, but it's not impossible. For example, a $10,000 investment in Nvidia in 2015 would be worth over $2.6 million today. Of course, you would have had to resist the temptation to sell during the GPU stock's huge swings up and down during that period. Now for a more difficult question: How could Quantum Computing stock achieve a CAGR of 58.49% over the next 10 years? To answer this question, we need to understand the company's business. Quantum Computing uses integrated photonics (computing with particles of light) and nonlinear quantum optics to develop quantum computers. The company believes its approach to quantum computing is superior to rivals' methods that use superconducting, trapped-ion, and annealing architectures. Photons' advantages include lower energy consumption, faster processing, and scalability. The photonic integrated circuit market size in 2024 was around $15 billion. Over the next five years, this market is projected to expand by a CAGR of 20.5% to $38.4 billion. While that is an impressive growth rate, it isn't enough to propel Quantum Computing stock 100x higher. But Quantum Computing could grow significantly faster than the overall photonic integrated circuit market. The company's thin film lithium niobate wafers, which it believes will be "the silicon of the future," could make it possible. Also, the photonic integrated circuit market's growth could accelerate beyond 2029. I could envision this occurring if the adoption of the technology in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, and high-performance computing takes off in a huge way. It's quite possible that investing $10,000 in Quantum Computing stock could make you a millionaire over the next 10 years. But how probable is this scenario? The odds aren't great. For one thing, Quantum Computing's photonics technology might be surpassed by approaches that prove to be even better. Many of the companies investing heavily in developing quantum computers have deep pockets, including Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, and Nvidia. Other rising stars in the quantum computing industry, such as IonQ, D-Wave Quantum, and Rigetti Computing, could potentially be bigger winners than Quantum Computing. Perhaps progress in advancing quantum computing technology won't be fast enough to support the market growth required for Quantum Computing to be a millionaire-maker. I suspect that won't be the case, but I wouldn't rule it out. The good news for investors, though, is that Quantum Computing doesn't have to turn an initial $10,000 into $1 million by 2035 to still deliver exceptional returns. Before you buy stock in Quantum Computing, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Quantum Computing wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keith Speights has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, International Business Machines, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Can Investing $10,000 in Quantum Computing (QUBT) Stock Turn Into $1 Million by 2035? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Americans say they care about getting enough protein and avoiding food dyes. Their eating habits say otherwise.
Americans are fed a lot of information about what counts as healthy food. We wanted to know if these nutritional values are really as important to Americans as the headlines suggest, so, with the help of YouGov, we polled more than 1,500 U.S. adults in April 2025. The results: Most people agree that protein is important, and food dyes should be banned. And yet, a much smaller share of Americans are checking food labels for these ingredients. So what gives? We spoke to experts about whether Americans really value the nutritional concerns that make headlines, and what you can do to better align your ideals with your dietary habits. We asked Americans about whether they consider nutritional information when they choose what to eat and, if so, what factors they prioritize (meaning: calories, sodium, etc.). Then we zoomed in on two nutritional topics that have gotten a lot of buzz lately: protein and red dyes. Protein has been having a moment, partly because it's what some experts have dubbed 'the last macronutrient standing' amid the bad raps of fats and carbs. Its connection to muscle building and weight loss — especially in conjunction with GLP-1 medications like Ozempic — has been a further boon to protein. Americans seem to have taken note. A large majority (85%) of respondents to the Yahoo News/YouGov poll said that protein is very or somewhat important to them when choosing what to eat. Yet among the two-thirds of respondents who said they check nutritional labels, only 13% said that protein is the factor they pay most attention to when choosing what to eat. And only about a quarter of respondents said they're eating more protein now than they were a year ago. We found the same pattern when it comes to food dyes. More than two-thirds (65%) of respondents to our poll said they approve of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s move to ban many artificial colorings. But only 37% of respondents said they actively avoid food dyes, and just 27% said they always or usually check food labels for the ingredients (another 24% said they sometimes check). If we're so aware of what we should be including or avoiding in our food, but don't necessarily act on it, are we just too lazy to make healthy choices? Not exactly. For example, 66% of the respondents to our survey make the effort to check nutritional information. But the most commonly considered factor was calorie content (16%), which isn't necessarily a good indicator of whether a food is healthy, according to recent research. While it might seem fairly easy to check foods for their content of other nutrients, calculating out how much we need of each of these (protein, vitamins, etc.) gets complicated, fast. 'There's a lot of evidence that people don't take actions that are in their best interests based on their knowledge,' says Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of Tufts University's Food Is Medicine Institute. 'People have an aspirational image of what they would like to do, and then [there's] what they do in real life.' This phenomenon is known as the intention-action gap. 'And for nutrition, it's doubly or triply complicated by the beliefs and intentions and knowledge also being a huge source of confusion for people,' says Mozaffarian. Picture yourself at the grocery store or in the drive-through line. What's on your checklist? Protein? Food dyes? Calories? Whole grains? And how much is enough, or too much, and what even qualifies as a whole grain anyway? Does a Whopper meal count as paleo? 'That confusion dramatically increases the gap between aspirations and actions,' says Mozaffarian. It also takes time — a lot of it. 'Our lives are all busy, and just because we would like to do something doesn't mean we will actually get around to doing it,' Teresa Fung, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Simmons University and Harvard University, tells Yahoo Life. And with new diet trends and hyped ingredients and priorities cropping up all the time, it can be hard to stay focused on the things that really matter for your personal diet. Fung is glad that people are aware of issues like food additives, 'but hopefully it's not at the expense of other things,' she says. 'If it's just for a few months that I'm paying attention to [any one food issue] and then a year from now I'm not,' that's not helpful, she adds. However, some public health experts, including Mozzaffarian, believe that certain foods 'just shouldn't be on the shelf,' he says. Specifically, he notes that poor quality diets and ultra-processed foods are linked to health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (a collection of related health problems common among overweight and obese people). 'It's not an information problem, it's a product problem,' Mozzaffarian says. Until food is better regulated, nutrition labels are still key to making healthy choices, says Mozaffarian. Grocery shopping and cooking at home go a long way to help you take control of your health, instead of eating packaged, restaurant or fast foods. And, perhaps counterintuitively, 'if you want to eat healthier, buy more products without labels,' Mozaffarian says, meaning whole foods like fruits, vegetables and eggs. When it comes to protein, most people actually don't need to stress too much about whether they're eating enough of it. 'The typical American diet already has enough protein, so if people are already doing it, they don't really need to take the additional action' of checking labels for protein content, she says. Fung also suspects that, like most single-nutrient eating trends, the protein obsession will fade. 'It happens all the time: There are always new discoveries, and people focus on them until they're no longer new, then we wait for the next shiny new thing,' she says. That's another strategy: If the food rules you're trying to follow are super trendy, they probably aren't that sustainable, or essential, Fung adds. However, in some cases, there's a grain of truth to nutritional trends, and some exceptions are worth making. For example, perimenopausal and menopausal women really do need to up their protein intake. And the majority of Americans don't eat enough fiber, so the ongoing fibermaxxing trend actually is dietitian-approved. Fung and Mozaffarian acknowledge that, even if you aren't trying to keep up with the latest food fad, it takes a lot of time and energy to eat the way you aspire. 'It's like another job you have to do after you come home from your job,' says Fung. She says that if you can afford it, buying precut vegetables that are bagged and washed can save time and make it just a little easier to cook at home. She also advises making one or two simple changes at a time if you're trying to improve your diet. 'Pick two things you want to change, and they have to be things that are changeable within your resources and that you can change for the long haul,' says Fung. 'Healthy dietary habits are never extreme.' She adds: 'Health is a long-term project.'
