Brian Buntz

Dr. Jeremy Katzen, a clinical instructor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the National Institutes of Health K08 Clinical Investigator Award. Katzen’s research aims to contribute to an improved scientific understanding of cell biology of the respiratory system while discovering new potential therapeutic possibilities for respiratory disorders. In particular, his work focuses on…

An estimated 21 million U.S. healthcare workers should be among the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a CDC advisory committee. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) within the CDC met yesterday to discuss how to best allocate COVID-19 vaccines. Members of the group will formalize their recommendations by voting after FDA…

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:REGN) has announced that the FDA has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the combination of casirivimab and imdevimab to treat COVID-19.  The monoclonal antibody cocktail is reportedly the first treatment to show “statistically significant anti-viral activity” against COVID-19, according to its developer. In a trial, the combination of drugs cut hospitalization or emergency…

Until recently, the most rapidly developed vaccine was for mumps, which took four years. Now,  Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) appear to be on the cusp of commercializing COVID-19 vaccines under emergency use authorization. It was only a year ago that physicians in China identified unusual pneumonia cases that would later be associated with the novel coronavirus.  As impressive…

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) have announced that their coronavirus vaccine was 95% effective, putting it in line with the preliminary results from rival Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA). Pfizer’s BNT162b2 vaccine candidate appears to have an advantage over Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine in terms of its low adverse event rate. Out of a randomized pool of at least 8,000…

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) has debuted a cryogenic transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) that it claims “democratizes” the technique. In 2017, a trio of international researchers won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the microscopy method, which enables high-resolution imaging of biomolecules in a solution.  The technique enables researchers to see proteins in high resolution…

Berlin-based ProBioGen has closed a deal with Asahi Kasei Pharma (TYO:2502) to collaborate on biologics. The German company said it will use its proprietary cell line development platform and transposase technology to support Tokyo-based Asahi Kasei’s biologics pipeline development. “We are enchanted to work with Asahi Kasei Pharma on one of their key projects and…

Buried in a preliminary report on Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is a list of financial backers that includes the famed singer Dolly Parton. Parton was unaware that her $1 million donation to COVID research at Vanderbilt University in April would be used to advance the vaccine candidate from Moderna (NSDQ: MRNA), according to CNN.    The singer…

Researchers at Purdue University have devised chemical reactivity flowcharts and novel machine learning models that could accelerate drug discovery. Although the use of machine learning for drug development has grown, researchers’ ability to understand machine learning recommendations has been limited. In a paper published in Organic Letters, Purdue professor Gaurav Chopra noted that the machine…

The neurodegenerative-diseased-focused biotech Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced that it had received orphan drug designation for AMX0035, a proprietary blend of sodium phenylbutyrate and tauroursodeoxycholic acid. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company won that designation to treat Wolfram syndrome, a rare genetic disease associated with diabetes, progressive optic atrophy, hearing loss and severe neurological disabilities.  The prognosis for patients…

There are a dozen Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine candidates with more than 50 in either Phase 1 or Phase 2 trials. But the fact that Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) have vaccine candidates with efficacy greater than 90% could ultimately narrow the playing field. “Efficacy matters, but I don’t think [Pfizer’s and Moderna’s efficacy rate of] greater…

The Canadian biotech firm Medicago (CVE:MDG) is hooking up GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) on a study involving 30,000 participants.  The Quebec City-based Medicago had recently announced promising data concerning its plant-based vaccine candidate.  Medicago’s vaccine is unique in that it uses virus-like particles that resemble the structure of the novel coronavirus but contain no genetic material from the virus. …

Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) is now the second company to release positive preliminary results from a Phase 3 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate — and it appears to be more good news. Last week, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) announced that early data suggested its BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine was more than 90% effective at reducing symptomatic COVID-19 infections.  Today,…

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NYSE:MRNA) are likely to be among the first companies to commercialize COVID-19 vaccines. But while the former has announced positive results from its interim analysis of its clinical study, the status of Moderna’s Phase 3 COVE trial remains a mystery. The company announced that it remains blinded to whether the Phase 3…

In the aftermath of Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine promises to be 90% effective, President Trump is faulting the FDA for its role allegedly delaying the announcement until after Election Day. The President has pointed to the episode as evidence for a ‘medical deep state,” according to the Washington Post. Already, HHS…

As governments and health authorities worldwide gear up to deliver potentially billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses, artificial intelligence and data automation techniques could be a powerful tool combating one of the top hindrances to mass vaccination: vaccine hesitancy.   In particular, natural language processing (NLP) could help health authorities transform adverse event reports from COVID-19 vaccines…

The FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) yesterday for the investigational monoclonal antibody therapy bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) to treat COVID-19. The drug from Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) is intended to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 infections when administered within 10 days of developing symptoms. The manufacturer indicates the drug for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infections in adult…

Enthusiasm surrounding COVID-19 vaccines is on the upswing after Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) announced preliminary data suggesting their vaccines could be more than 90% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said today in an NBC interview that he believes a COVID-19 vaccine would be available to the general public…

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has announced its vaccine candidate promises to be 90% effective in protecting against COVID-19 infections.  The announcement included the interim analysis results of its Phase 3 trial. Pfizer had earlier suggested that it would announce those results in late October. The promising data clears the way for Pfizer to apply for emergency-use authorization from…

Today, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first serology test that identifies neutralizing antibodies resulting from a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.   The move could lead to an improved understanding of the role neutralizing antibodies play in COVID-19 infections.  “The ability to detect neutralizing antibodies can help us gain additional…

Aducanumab from Biogen (NSDQ:BIIB) seemed to be on the verge of becoming the first new Alzheimer’s drug to hit the market in almost two decades. Now, its potential fate is murkier given skepticisms voiced during an FDA advisory committee meeting today. BIIB shares skidded 28% in afternoon trading on Nov. 9. Eight of the experts…

Teva (NYSE: TEVA) reported third-quarter results today, which matched analysts’ consensus forecast. The company will maintain its guidance for the rest of the year. The company, which has dual headquarters in Israel and Parsippany, N.J., reported a loss of $4.3 billion or $3.97 per share on revenue of $3.9 billion for the quarter ended September […]

Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) posted third-quarter results after market close yesterday that beat analysts’ consensus for the company. The Acton, Mass.-based tubeless insulin pump manufacturer announced profits of $11.6 million or $0.17 per share on sales of $234 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020, for a bottom-line gain of 13.5% on sales growth of 21% compared […]

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has expanded its SureSeq line of next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels to detect genetic variants associated with breast and ovarian cancer and myeloid disorders. One of the offerings is a myeloid panel that can detect abnormalities in 70 genes associated with a range of diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and…

Russia is temporarily tapping the brakes on its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial as demand for its Sputnik-V vaccine surges, according to several clinical officials quoted by Reuters.  Crocus Medical, a company helping administer the vaccine, denies there is a shortage of the vaccine. “Trials are ongoing, and there is sufficient vaccine supply,” said Alexey Butylin,…