LONDON – COVID-19 research is generating a wealth of data every day, but it is coming from many and disparate sources, making it difficult to assess its quality, dovetail datasets together and decide how to apply it.

LONDON – The world’s first COVID-19 human challenge trial is due to start in London next year, after the government announced £33.6 million (US$43.5 million) funding for the project.

“It’s coming. We know it’s coming.” That was Nevan Krogan’s blunt reminder that SARS-CoV-2 is not the first virus to wreak temporary havoc on humanity, nor will it be the last.

LONDON – COVID-19 research is generating a wealth of data every day, but it is coming from many and disparate sources, making it difficult to assess its quality, dovetail datasets together and decide how to apply it.

CAJICA, Colombia – Latin American countries are rushing to sign deals to gain access to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, with Brazil, the largest in the region, right in the race. Already, the country has the third most COVID-19 cases globally, behind only India and the U.S.

LONDON – Results from two non-randomized phase I/II trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V that recently received conditional regulatory approval show both a frozen and a freeze-dried formulation of the two-shot vaccine had a good safety profile and induced antibody responses in all 76 participants within 21 days.

LONDON – New evidence from seven randomized controlled trials and a simultaneously conducted meta-analysis has again demonstrated that corticosteroids show significant benefit in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19, reducing length of hospital stay and cutting 28-day mortality.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought disruptions to R&D, market activities in the biopharmaceutical sector have remained active during the first half of this year in China. Venture capital investments, IPOs and partnering activity showed upward trends, except for M&A activity, which has declined for two years.

LONDON – The U.K. is funding a national program of research to investigate the major unanswered questions related to the immune response to COVID-19. The aim of the research, involving teams of immunologists in 17 research institutions, is to unpick the immunological backdrop of one of the most notable aspects of COVID-19 infection, which is the huge spectrum of severity of symptoms.