Sinocelltech Group Ltd. has reported positive interim data for two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, SCTV-01C and SCTV-01E, from phase III trials in the United Arab Emirates.
The White House laid out several timelines Oct. 18 as part of a national biodefense strategy for countering biological threats and enhancing global pandemic preparedness.
Differences in individual responses to COVID-19 vaccines have been linked directly to different human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and it has been shown that people carrying one specific variant, HLA-DQB1*06, generate higher antibody responses and are better protected from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia secured a series B financing of undisclosed value, led by Chinese investors that include Jack Ma’s Yunfeng Capital and Highlight Capital. The funds will be used to strengthen the company's pipeline and to expand its local manufacturing capacity.
It was a busy day at Moderna Inc. as Merck & Co. Inc. exercised its option to jointly develop and commercialize a personalized cancer vaccine with Moderna in a deal the two companies inked in 2016. Moderna also notched another emergency use authorization (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine, this one targeting the omicron variant, for use by those under age 18.
CSL Ltd. subsidiary Seqirus inked a $30.1 million deal with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop and evaluate two influenza A subtype H2Nx (avian flu) vaccines in a phase I trial.
Aim Vaccine Co. Ltd. priced an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising HK$70.01 million (US$9 million) to fund work on its late-stage vaccine pipeline. Its shares increased only 3.09% on debut Oct. 6 but closed the week at HK$24.80, up 54% over its listing price of HK$16.16.
Three months after agreeing to an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, World Trade Organization (WTO) members are discussing expanding it to therapies, diagnostics and devices used in preventing, diagnosing and treating COVID-19 infections.
Valneva SE is approaching a crucial point with its troubled efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, having announced Sept. 26 it’s in talks with a potential partner for its next-generation jab. The company cautioned the negotiations could take several months and may not succeed. The company’s problems with its COVID-19 vaccine, which is based on an inactivated whole virus, have weighed on its shares (Paris:VLA), which collapsed from a 52-week high of more than €29 (US$28.29) in December 2021 to €5.74 at the close of trading Sept. 26.
What was once effective is now a non-starter. Newly updated guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) caution against using the COVID-19 treatments sotrovimab, from GSK plc and Vir Biotechnology Inc., and Regen-Cov (casirivimab + imdevimab), from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Omicron, the group said, has rendered the monoclonal antibodies ineffective.