Nader Pourhassan, the former president and CEO of Cytodyn Inc., was sentenced Jan. 23 to 30 months in prison for his role in a securities fraud scheme to deceive investors about the Vancouver, Wash.-based company’s development of leronlimab as a treatment for HIV and COVID-19.
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has been releasing guidances on vaccines for decades, the 2026 immunization schedule it issued Jan. 26 is creating some buzz given the U.S. CDC’s newly abbreviated childhood schedule that removed several routine recommendations.
Shionogi & Co. Ltd. and Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd. were involved in separate divestment transactions this week, with Shionogi buying out Pfizer Inc.’s stake in Viiv Healthcare Ltd. to lift its holding to 21.7%.
Two former Spero Therapeutics Inc. executives are on the hook for a total of $187,500 in civil penalties in a settlement resolving U.S. SEC allegations of issuing misleading statements centered on the FDA’s evaluation of Spero’s lead drug candidate that resulted in a 64% stock drop in May 2022.
The range of effects caused by rhinoviruses – the pathogens responsible for the common cold – motivated scientists at Yale University to study the human nasal epithelium and uncover a previously undescribed defense mechanism. The interferon-mediated protective response in these cells can limit infection, whereas a maladaptive response tends to worsen it. Based on these findings, the researchers have identified potential therapeutic targets to reduce inflammation associated with rhinovirus infection.
The New York attorney general’s office has filed suit against the former CEO of Emergent Biosolutions Inc., alleging insider trading, while at the same time announcing a settlement with the company, which agreed to pay $900,000 in penalties for approving the illegal trading plan. The lawsuit stems from reports of vaccine contamination at the company’s manufacturing plant during the height of the COVID pandemic.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy has once again expanded the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), this time adding two more ob-gyns to the membership list. As a result, the ACIP, which can have up to 19 members, now numbers 13, three of whom are ob-gyns.
The concept of the 3 Rs – reducing, refining and replacing animal research – has been championed since the 1950s, when William Russel and Rex Burch argued in their book “The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique” that the 3 Rs could simultaneously improve the treatment of research animals and advance the quality of scientific and medical research and testing. Current standard practices of animal research undeniably cause animal suffering at the same time that they have prioritized replicability over translatability.
As widely expected, GSK plc and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported positive findings from two pivotal trials testing bepirovirsen in chronic hepatitis B, showing the antisense oligonucleotide therapy achieved a statistically and clinically meaningful functional cure rate, indicating a potential transition in CHB treatment beyond the current viral suppression-focused standard of care.
The chaos Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy has injected into the U.S. vaccine market could have long-term consequences as vaccine makers reevaluate business decisions and pipelines.
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