Five days after an FDA advisory committee recommended a booster dose of Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, for people 65 and older or those who are at high risk of a serious infection, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) struggled Sept. 22 with what a U.S. booster program would look like if only one booster is available when three different COVID-19 vaccines are being used in the country.
Autumn's arrival in the Northern Hemisphere on Sept. 22 swept in significant news of progress for the global fight against COVID-19. A protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate from Clover Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. and Dynavax Technologies Corp. appeared wholly effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization, sending Dynavax shares (NASDAQ:DVAX) climbing 26.5% to close at $18.79 on Sept. 22. In another study of Gilead Sciences Inc.'s Veklury (remdesivir), the drug significantly reduced hospitalization in high-risk patients with COVID-19. Meanwhile, governments and companies continued to expand efforts to supply new vaccines and therapeutics against the disease even as efforts continued far and wide to evaluate the efficacy of new and emerging candidates in both categories.
While European health care systems have historically lagged the U.S. in terms of digital adoption, a report by investment firm Albion VC is highlighting how the pandemic has created the momentum for change.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Co-Diagnostics, Ivwatch, Kleiner, Welldoc.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Clearside, Demerx, Hightide, Hoth, Hutchmed, J&J, Lyra, Moderna, Poxel, PTC, Rhovac, Small Pharma, Stoke, Vigeo, Zenith.
Trimers of nanobodies, a simpler form of antibody made by some animal species, were effective at preventing and treating COVID-19 in preclinical studies, researchers reported in the Sept. 22, 2021, issue of Nature Communications.
Fresh data from Johnson & Johnson show COVID-19 protection dramatically increased with a booster shot of its single-dose vaccine, adding momentum to the U.S. drive for boosters.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still swirling about, and rapid antigen tests are still playing a vital role in pushing back against the COVID-19 pandemic, and Australia’s TGA has responded with a guidance on when software used with rapid antigen tests qualifies as a regulated device. The TGA has classified such software as a class 3 device when used with a rapid antigen self-test, thus requiring a separate regulatory application before it can be eligible for entry in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).
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