As life begins to return to a semblance of normal in many parts of the world, COVAX cautioned countries July 1 against adopting policies that favor specific COVID-19 vaccines.
PERTH, Australia – Australia will be phasing out the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine by October and will rely on Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE and Moderna Inc. vaccines to ramp up lagging vaccination rates.
LONDON – New data have arrived to allay concerns about shortages of COVID-19 vaccines disrupting dosing schedules, and also answering the question of whether third – booster – doses will restore waning immunity and be effective against viral variants.
PERTH, Australia – Australia will be phasing out the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine by October and will rely on Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE and Moderna Inc. vaccines to ramp up lagging vaccination rates.
There’s been a mixed bag of data from Astrazeneca plc’s efforts against COVID-19, after data suggested Pfizer Inc.’s rival vaccine is more effective against the Delta variant and the failure of a trial involving its long-acting antibody therapy.
LONDON – The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 originally identified in India is causing more serious illness and reducing the effectiveness of vaccines compared to the Alpha (Kent) variant, according to a nationwide study covering Scotland’s whole population of 5.4 million.
LONDON – A new U.K. study indicates the Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE COVID-19 vaccine is less effective against the India variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was designated as of global concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 10.
Public biopharmaceutical companies did manage to attract some investors off the sidelines in May with medical conference season getting into full gear. However, it was generally another lackluster month, with the Nasdaq Biotech index dropping 2% in the period in contrast to the broader markets with the Dow Jones Industrial Average growing by 2%. The sector, however, could get a significant boost in the next few days if the FDA gives the green light to Biogen Inc. and Eisai Co. Ltd.’s experimental Alzheimer’s disease therapy, aducanumab, a recombinant chimeric human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting beta-amyloid, that could be the first disease-modifying therapy for an indication that has seen no novel therapies approved in more than 15 years.
HONG KONG – In the midst of a COVID-19 crisis, India has waived the need for “well-established” foreign vaccines to undergo local trials. That could open doors for vaccines by Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) ordered six drug companies May 17 to immediately resume providing 340B discounts to contract pharmacies without restrictions and to credit or refund overcharges stemming from those restrictions.
