China’s NMPA has approved 12 antigen self-test kits between March 12 and 16 amid COVID-19 outbreaks in many parts of the country. The regulator claims that there will soon be more test kits approved. The number of COVID-19 infectious cases in China surged rapidly over the first half of March.
With global COVID-19 cases on the rise once again, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said it reached consensus among four WTO members – the U.S., European Union, India and South Africa – for an IP waiver regarding vaccines, a proposal to which biopharma reiterated its objections. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the White House appealed to Congress to provide adequate funding to continue the country’s pandemic response, and Pfizer Inc. and Biontech SE submitted an application to the FDA seeking emergency use authorization for a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Allarity, Arrowhead, Beigene, Kairos, Maia, Medison, Myrtelle, Pepgen, Quoin, Wesana.
The bipartisan PREVENT Pandemics Act, which seeks to put into U.S. law many of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, marked its first milestone March 15, with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee sending it to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation on a 20-2 vote.
The Gates Foundation is joining with other philanthropic funders in launching an initiative to develop small-molecule antiviral drugs to lay in as part of preparations for the next pandemic.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Abbvie, Almirall, Ascletis, Biogen, Biomed, Eisai, Enochian, Eyenovia, Gain, Iaso, Imugene, Innovation, Krystal, Merck, Ovid, Passage, Periphagen, Scripps Research, University of Michigan.
Chinese state-owned enterprise China Meheco Group Co. Ltd. has signed a deal with Pfizer Inc. to be its mainland China partner for the commercialization of the COVID-19 pill Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), which won conditional approval from China’s NMPA earlier this year.
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