Mainz, Germany-based Biontech SE has struck two deals in its Project Lightspeed, one for inside China and one for outside China, to develop and commercialize a COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) prevention vaccine. The agreements caused the stock (NASDAQ:BNTX) to soar 29.3%, or $9.07, to close at $40 on Monday in the midst of a bear market.
The past week has seen a lot of movement in terms of tests to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. “It is notable that the diagnostics community is coming together in a way we have not seen in our 20 years covering this industry,” wrote William Blair analyst Brian Weinstein in a March 14 note. “Regulators, lab professionals, and manufacturers are all in a frenetic fury to try and get testing up and running, and we generally see a sense of ‘in it together’ playing out.”
The number of biopharmas and nonprofits pitching in to find a treatment for COVID-19 continues to grow. In the past few weeks, that number has more than doubled and it shows no signing of slowing.
HONG KONG – South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) recently granted the first urgent-use licenses to four COVID-19 novel coronavirus diagnostic kits to battle the pandemic in the country, which is home to one of the largest outbreaks in the world outside of China.
Chronic disease patients are facing serious risks both from keeping away from necessary care settings, as well as from potential COVID-19 infection. One in five chronic disease patients was already starting to avoid seeking care in physician’s offices and hospitals, according to a survey that started early last week of a panel of 1,300 chronic disease patients across several indications.
The importance of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) has not been lost on drug development companies. Recently, to help accelerate the discovery of therapies to treat COVID-19, several deals have been established to help deploy those tools.
As companies scramble to develop diagnostic tests and vaccines for COVID-19, there is a need for effective treatments for patients suffering severe respiratory effects from the novel coronavirus. To that end, Beyond Air Inc., of Garden City, N.Y., and Rehovot, Israel, has applied to the U.S. FDA to conduct an IDE trial of its inhaled nitric oxide (NO) system, Lungfit Bro, in COVID-19 patients.
BEIJING – Biotech companies in China were among the first to experience disruptions in their operations and development plans from the COVID-19 outbreak, with employees unable to report to work and difficulties continuing trials.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Hologic, Neural Fiber Optic Systems, Medx Health.
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Applied Extracts, Arima Genomics, Asuragen, Aytu Bioscience, Becton, Dickinson and Co., Biogx, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Bracco Imaging, Caredx, Cefaly, Co-Diagnostics, Datos, Geacom, Haselmeier, Healthcall, Heiq Materials, IDbyDNA, Illumina, Impulse Dynamics, Invo Bioscience, Nobio, Pharmajet, Qiagen, Roche, Supergum, Tandem Diabetes Care, Twist, West China Hospital, XCR Diagnostics.
