DUBLIN – At the best of times, drug development is, of course, a complex problem. It is all the more demanding still in the middle of a pandemic, when the threat to human life is increasing exponentially, and health care systems are buckling under an extraordinary burden. Optimizing the development of drugs and vaccines in order to quickly generate high-quality evidence of their safety and efficacy is, therefore, a critical task, but an online webinar organized by the drug development consultants Certara LP, in conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, suggested that, at this stage of the crisis, that lesson has yet to be absorbed. Read More
A new, worldwide coalition of plasma companies seeking to develop and deliver a hyperimmune immunoglobulin therapy for fighting COVID-19 takes the view that many hands make light work. Read More
“Vaccines, obviously, are the ultimate solution for pandemics,” Rino Rappuoli told BioWorld. They have, he added, “already eliminated a lot of pandemic threats – smallpox, influenza, poliomyelitis.” And the road to normalcy from the current pandemic, or any pandemic, is likely to be open only once there is a vaccine. Read More
The Korea Export Import Bank (KEXIM) took a step toward fulfilling its mandate to finance Korean companies’ overseas expansion by seeking managers for a new ₩400 billion (US$328 million) fund. Read More
Boston-based Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc., during its March 12 earnings call, talked up gastric cancer prospect PRS-343, a 4-1BB/HER2 bispecific for HER2-positive solid tumors, which has turned up single-agent and checkpoint-combination antitumor activity. Read More
BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Exosomes deliver sepsis treatment; Dopamine has epigenetic role in addiction; Rejuvenating inflammation’s end; Gut repair with an iron will; Multiple drivers explained. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Company List: Astrazeneca, Biocryst, Cyclerion. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Biogen, Immunomic, Epivax, Pharmazz, Pharmajet, Samsung Biologics, Vir, Wuxi Biologics. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Arrowhead, Astellas, Seneca. Read More
