LONDON – In the rush to test drugs against COVID-19, clinical trials in other indications are starting to be interrupted by the strains on health care systems and the fact that many potential patients are those most at risk from the effects of the novel coronavirus.
As the world goes to war with COVID-19, the U.S. is ripping open the purse strings to fund mobilization against both the coronavirus and the economic devastation it’s causing.
Randomized trials of the broad-spectrum antiviral favipiravir, marketed as an anti-influenza treatment by Fujifilm Holdings Corp., have shown "obvious efficacy" against COVID-19, according to Zhang Xinmin, head of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development.
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.
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.
“We look forward to the day where we can get back to normal,” U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday at a COVID-19 news conference in which reporters sat every-other-seat apart. In an unusually somber tone, the president said it now looks like it will be at least July or August before the outbreak “washes through.”
The circuit breakers activated almost immediately when the markets opened this morning as the Dow plummeted, with investors moving into cash and away from equities. Clearly, they were not impressed with the Federal Reserve’s decision to slash its benchmark interest rate to nearly 0% to help combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
Several companies are awaiting regulatory decisions from the FDA over the next several months. BioWorld will periodically feature a chart of Drugs on Deck that show upcoming PDUFA dates. The current month includes four products that are waiting in the wings to treat diverse indications such as multiple sclerosis, migraine and renal disease.
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.
Taking a breather from the political rhetoric that’s permeated the U.S response to COVID-19 and pushed legislation aimed at lowering drug prices to the back burner, a House subcommittee Wednesday advanced several bipartisan bills intended to improve the safety and ensure the supply of drugs and medical devices.
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