Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been chased from the headlines by other viruses, but with a fatality rate of around 30 percent and the potential ability to spread from person to person, it remains a threat to global heath in the eyes of the World Health Organization. Now, researchers from the Navy Medical Research Center have reported using transchromosomal cows to generate polyclonal antibodies that could rapidly reduce the viral load in the lungs of MERS-CoV-infected mice.
Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and H. Lundbeck, A/S, of Valby, Denmark, said the FDA expanded the label of Abilify Maintena (aripiprazole) for extended-release injectable suspension to include a new injection site, the deltoid muscle of the arm. Healthcare providers will now have the option for either a gluteal or deltoid injection site for administering Abilify Maintena to patients with schizophrenia.
Beigene Co. Ltd., of Beijing, received a $5 million milestone in the company's collaboration with Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, for BGB-283, a second-generation BRAF inhibitor candidate currently in phase I development. The milestone triggers a $5 million payment from Merck to Beigene.
HONG KONG – A collaborative team from Hong Kong and mainland China has discovered an antiviral peptide that is a promising candidate for treating patients infected with the emergent Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, for which there are currently no effective treatments.