TORONTO – Hemocath Ltd. is gearing up for a first-in-human trial of a device that addresses two critical metrics for the treatment of heart failure: pulmonary artery and central venous pressure. Hemocath’s pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is part of a larger heart failure monitoring platform and is intended to assess fluid status in patients with severe or worsening congestive heart failure. The hope is to replace larger, more invasive catheters inserted into a patient’s neck.

LONDON – Positive interim data from the U.S. trial of Astrazeneca plc’s COVID-19 vaccine have added yet more evidence it is effective in older adults and quelled concerns about serious thrombotic events that led countries in Europe to pause use of the vaccine earlier this month. Overall, the vaccine showed 79% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, and was 100% effective in preventing serious disease and hospitalization. The effect was comparable across different ethnicities and age groups, with 80% efficacy in participants over 65 years of age. The analysis is based on 141 cases of COVID-19 infection.

Advanced Oncotherapy plc reported new findings demonstrating the potential ability and superiority of its next-generation proton therapy system, LIGHT, to treat resistant cancers. The findings build on research at the Mayo Clinic that highlighted the benefits of combining proton therapy (PT) with targeted small molecule damage repair inhibitors.

Following a missed primary endpoint in its phase III study in treating anti-PD-1-refractory advanced melanoma, Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc. is considering stopping the registrational trial of its synthetic Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist or pressing on toward the clinical trial’s second primary endpoint.