LONDON – A large scale U.K. study looking at the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations on antibody responses and new infections in 373,402 people in the general population has shown a single dose of vaccine cut infections by 65%. Symptomatic infections fell by 74% and infections with no reported symptoms by 57%, 21 days after receiving the first dose of either Astrazeneca plc’s or Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE’s vaccine.
Versant Ventures has closed three new funds with an aggregate raise of $950 million to allocate to the next wave of innovative startups across North America and Europe. The money is new, but everything else is more or less unchanged. “It’s the same strategy, same team, same geography, same operational model,” Versant chairman and managing director Brad Bolzon told BioWorld.
DUBLIN – In keeping with the record-breaking year for biotech fundraising across the globe, the Swiss biotech sector also scaled new heights in 2020, with aggregate investment of CHF3.4 billion (US$3.7 billion), according to the newly published Swiss Biotech Report 2021. It represents almost a threefold increase on the CHF1.2 billion total it logged in 2019.
LONDON – The EMA’s safety committee has concluded that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets are a rare side effect of Johnson & Johnson Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine and that a warning should be added to the label. The decision is based on all available evidence, which currently consists of eight reports from the U.S. of serious cases of thrombosis, one of which was fatal. All cases were in people under 60 years of age, and within three weeks after vaccination, the majority in women. One case occurred during the clinical trials.
DUBLIN – The Biden administration’s proposals on global corporation tax reform have set alarm bells ringing across the Irish government, as officials digest the possible implications of the plan for Ireland's foreign direct investment model of economic development.
DUBLIN – A newly published retrospective analysis of the electronic health care records of more than 500,000 COVID-19 patients has found that infection with SARS-CoV-2 carries “a significantly and substantially” greater risk of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) than does either one of the two approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccines or infection with influenza virus.
LONDON – The U.K. is moving on to the next phase of testing mixed dosing schedules for COVID-19 vaccines, launching a study in which it will assess the effect of using Moderna Inc. or Novavax Inc.’s products as the second dose in a heterologous prime boost trial.
LONDON – The EMA has concluded that the rare cases of serious blood clots with low platelet counts seen after administration of Astrazeneca plc’s COVID-19 vaccine are caused by the vaccine, but said the benefits of its use continue to outweigh the risks. The possibility of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and splanchnic vein thrombosis in the abdomen will now be listed as rare side effects and the EMA’s guidance to health care professionals will be updated.
The European Commission opened a public consultation to help it develop the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, a new initiative to better prepare Europe for cross-border health threats.
DUBLIN – European biotechnology firms engaged in drug discovery and development raised a record $5.9 billion in equity investment during the first quarter. It’s further evidence that the pace of biotech investing has become even more frenetic than last year’s full tilt. The first three months of the year can often be a quiet one for European biotech, but the amount raised in Q1 2021 comfortably exceeds the totals raised for all of 2016 and 2015. Venture capital investing, IPOs and share offerings by listed firms all performed strongly, dwarfing the equivalent figures for recent years. The new year has started with a big bang.
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