The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services received low marks on its latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) report card for its oversight of high-risk research involving potential pandemic pathogens, but legislative fixes might be necessary to ensure that all the gaps are closed.
A year and a half gone, two HIV vaccine studies shut down. That’s the case with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos. of Johnson & Johnson as the phase III Mosaico study of its HIV vaccine regimen was not effective in preventing infection compared to placebo. Based on a data and safety monitoring board’s report saying the study was not expected to hit its primary endpoint, Janssen discontinued the clinical trial more than a year ahead of its estimated March 2024 completion date.
Now there are three. Moderna Inc. has posted strong phase III study data on its mRNA respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, keeping pace with Pfizer Inc. and GSK plc’s candidates, which have May PDUFA dates. Moderna’s top-line results of the ConquerRSV pivotal efficacy study of mRNA-1345 show the vaccine hit its primary efficacy endpoints of 83.7% against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease in older adults.
Following Therapeutic Goods Administration approval of its first-generation donor-derived microbiome-based therapy, Biomictra, for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, Australia’s Biomebank is scaling up to meet increasing global demand for fecal microbiota products and is developing a more scalable second-generation synthetic product.
Debiopharm International SA has identified enoyl-(acyl-carrier protein) reductase FabI (Acinetobacter baumannii) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of bacterial infections and hospital-acquired pneumonia.
Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research and Development Centre Ltd. has presented HBeAg (hepatitis B virus; HBV) and/or HBsAg (HBV) secretion inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of HBV infections.
Researchers from Therapyx Inc. and Intravacc BV assessed the potential of intranasal administration of a novel gonococcal vaccine candidate consisting of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and microsphere (ms)-encapsulated interleukin-12 (IL-12 ms). It was previously demonstrated that female mice can be immunized intravaginally with gonococcal OMVs plus IL-12 ms to induce anti-gonococcal antibodies and resistance to genital tract challenge with live Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Following Therapeutic Goods Administration approval of its first-generation donor-derived microbiome-based therapy, Biomictra, for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, Australia’s Biomebank is scaling up to meet increasing global demand for fecal microbiota products and is developing a more scalable second-generation synthetic product.
Scripps Research has synthesized 3C-Like proteinase (3CLpro; Mpro; nsp5) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19).
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