Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains a prominent global health concern. Each year, the virus is to blame for 2.1 million outpatient visits for children under 5 years old, according to CDC. Other vulnerable populations, including older adults and immunocompromised individuals, are also at risk. Nevertheless, RSV has long been a research focus. Scientists first identified RSV in 1956.…
This RNA sensor could trigger cells to turn on a synthetic gene
Engineers at MIT designed a new way to trigger cells that could lead to targeted therapies for cancer and other diseases. Using an RNA sensor for the trigger, the researchers ensure that synthetic genes activate only in specific cells. They demonstrated that the sensor could accurately identify cells expressing a mutated version of the p53…
Pfizer and BioNTech secure FDA nod for omicron-adapted COVID-19 booster for kids under 5
COVID-19 vaccine developers Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) have won emergency use authorization (EUA) for a single booster dose of their omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 booster for kids between 6 months and 4 years of age. The booster can be administered at least two months after completing the primary vaccination series with three…
Emory and Pfizer partner to develop new COVID-19 treatments
Emory University has partnered with Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to create new drugs and therapies aimed at stopping serious disease from COVID-19. The Emory and Pfizer collaboration will take place in Emory University’s Schinazi Laboratory, led by scientist Raymond Schinazi, with the goal of producing novel antiviral compounds to combat COVID, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Although…
This T-cell vaccine could be the future of COVID-19 protection
The current mRNA vaccines from Moderna (Nasdaq:MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) stimulate the production of neutralizing antibodies that bind to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. But there is a novel mRNA vaccine that activates T cells to attack cells infected with the virus. Developed by researchers at MIT and other institutions, the new vaccine could…
Shionogi’s antiviral ensitrelvir could shorten COVID-19 symptoms by about a day
The investigational antiviral ensitrelvir promises to accelerate recovery from mild to moderate COVID-19. Investigators concluded that patients who received the investigational drug recovered from COVID-19 symptoms about 24 hours earlier than those in the control group. Additionally, participants in the ensiltrelvir group tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 about 29 hours earlier. The drug, developed by Shionogi…
Exploring the future of mRNA therapy: Where are we now?
Interest in mRNA therapy has exploded in recent years following the development of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, but can the platform live up to the initial hype that surrounded it? More companies have announced clinical trial data from mRNA trials for conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer. mRNA, or messenger RNA, is a type of…
Vir Biotechnology parts from GSK in its development of next-gen COVID-19 therapies
Vir Biotechnology (Nasdaq: VIR) has amended its research collaboration with GSK to reflect its ongoing efforts to develop next-generation COVID-19 therapies. The former company said it would continue developing COVID-19 therapies alone or in cooperation with other partners. Vir and GSK will continue collaborating to ensure ongoing access to the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab, where it…
Japan scraps 140 million dose order of Novavax COVID vaccine, Takeda reveals
In 2021, Takeda (TYO:4502) announced that it would manufacture 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from NovaVax (Nasdaq:NVAX). But the company has disclosed that the Japanese government has canceled the remaining order for the Nuvaxovid vaccine. The Japanese government acquired 8.24 million vaccine doses but said it would cancel the remaining order for the remaining…
New study suggests link between Moderna COVID-19 booster and chronic hives
A Swiss study found that the monovalent Moderna (Nasdaq:MRNA) COVID-19 booster vaccine may be linked to a higher risk of a type of hives known technically as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). In a cohort of the study based in the Swiss canton of Vaud, 90% of people who received the mRNA-based Moderna COVID-19 booster and developed…
Pfizer tops $100B in revenue in 2022, but expects dwindling COVID-19 vaccine sales
New York City–based Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) announced that its full-year 2022 revenues were $100.3 billion, a record for the company. Pfizer has more than doubled its revenue compared to 2020 when it generated $42.9 billion in sales. In 2021, its revenue hit $81.3 billion. But the company will likely have trouble sustaining that momentum, considering its revenues,…
CureVac reports positive outcomes for COVID-19 and flu mRNA vaccines in seniors
The biopharma CureVac (Nasdaq:CVAC) and its partner GSK (NYSE:GSK) have announced positive extended preliminary data from two Phase 1 mRNA vaccine trials, one involving COVID-19 and another seasonal flu. The company says the positive data support the next stage of clinical testing for modified mRNA COVID-19 and flu vaccines in 2023. CureVac, which struggled to…
New COVID-19 variants prompt FDA to revoke Evusheld’s EUA
The FDA has withdrawn the emergency use authorization (EUA) for AstraZeneca’s Evusheld (tixagevimab with cilgavimab) as a COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis owing to the emergence of new variants. Evusheld has been found to be ineffective against several omicron subvariants, including BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BF.7, BF.11, BA.5.2.6, BA.4.6, BA.2.75.2, XBB, and XBB.1.5.1. The XBB.1.5 subvariant is becoming more…
Moderna’s RSV vaccine mRNA-1345 was more than 80% effective in a Phase 3 study
mRNA vaccine company Moderna (Nasdaq:MRNA) plans on submitting for regulatory approval for its investigational RSV mRNA-1345 vaccine after it met primary efficacy endpoints in the Phase 3 ConquerRSV study (NCT05127434). The RSV data are “a clear positive for MRNA” and represent a good omen for upcoming mRNA Phase 3 influenza data, noted UBS in a…
Moderna and Pfizer to charge between $110 and $130 for COVID-19 vaccine doses
The mRNA technology company Moderna (Nasdaq:MRNA) said it is planning to charge between $110 to $130 for COVID-19 vaccine doses in the U.S. once private market sales begin. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) had previously announced that it was targeting the same range for COVID-19 vaccine doses. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the company is now in discussions with hospitals, pharmacies…
Novavax launches Phase 2 study for COVID-19-flu shot
Vaccine developer Novavax (Nasdaq:NVAX) has begun a Phase 2 study of its COVID-19-influenza combination (CIC) shot as well as an influenza-only vaccine candidate. Rivals Moderna (Nasdaq:MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) have made similar moves. Moderna has a slew of flu vaccine candidates in its pipeline, including MRNA-1010, which is the subject of a Phase 3…
Can BioNTech’s BNT165b1 malaria vaccine stand up to Oxford’s R21?
The mRNA vaccine company BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) has begun a Phase 1 study of BNT165b1, a multi-antigen malaria vaccine candidate that belongs to its BNT165 malaria program. Researchers at Oxford University are farther along with their R21/Matrix-M vaccine. A recently completed Phase 3 trial focused on R21. It could win licensure in 2023. In a Phase…
FDA approves Roche’s tocilizumab to treat COVID-19 in hospitalized adults
Roche (SIX:RO,ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) announced that it received FDA approval for the intravenous (IV) monoclonal antibody Actemra (tocilizumab) for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. The indication covers hospitalized adults receiving systemic corticosteroids who need supplemental oxygen, noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Tocilizumab targets the interleukin-6 receptor. It first won FDA approval…
Senator Warren and Senator-elect Welch accuse of Pfizer profiteering over planned COVID-19 vaccine price
In October, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) signaled its plans to raise its COVID-19 vaccine price to roughly $110 to $130 per dose. The new price would go effect after the U.S. government’s purchase program for the vaccine expires, said Angela Lukin, Pfizer’s global primary care and U.S. president. Senator Warren and Senator-elect Welch asked Pfizer CEO Albert…
Monoclonal antibody sutimlimab did not interfere with COVID-19 vaccination response in Phase 3 studies
The pandemic has complicated the treatment of cold agglutinin disease (CAD), a rare autoimmune hemolytic anemia accounting for roughly 20% of all autoimmune hemolytic anemia. CAD affects older adults primarily. The anti-CD20 therapies commonly used off-label to treat the disease also increase the risk of serious COVID-19 infections and interfere with the immune response to COVID-19…
Pfizer seeks EUA for omicron booster for under-5 kids
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and its COVID-19 vaccine partner BioNTech (Nasdaq: BNTX) today announced they’ve submitted a EUA application with the FDA for an omicron COVID-19 booster for children under 5. The companies are seeking authorization for their omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as the third 3-µg dose in the three-dose primary series for children 6…
Lyme disease vaccine from Valneva and Pfizer has promising antibody persistence data
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and vaccine firm Valneva (Nasdaq:VALN; Euronext Paris:VLA) have released six-month antibody persistence data for children and adults receiving their Lyme disease vaccine candidate. In the Phase 2 VLA15-221 study, individuals received either three doses of the vaccine (at months 0, 2 and 6) or two doses (at months 0 and 6). The study…
Combatting the rise of antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat that, without intervention, could lead to as many as 10 million deaths annually by 2050.1 Unfortunately, the development of new antibiotics that could combat this risk is a significantly underinvested area, with few new treatments in the pipeline, and other therapy areas currently offering more attractive opportunities for…
Pfizer and BioNTech’s updated bivalent booster retains protection against new omicron sublineages
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) have announced that their omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent booster fared well against novel omicron variants in neutralizing antibody detection tests. The company published the results from the bivalent booster tests against the BA.4.6, BA.2.75.2, BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 subvariants on the preprint server BioRxiv. One month after administering a fourth vaccine dose, the…
Pfizer and BioNTech launch Phase 1 study of next-gen BNT162b4 COVID-19 vaccine
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) have begun a Phase 1 study to investigate the next-generation BNT162b4 COVID-19 vaccine candidate that could potentially result in a stronger and more durable immune response. Known as BNT162b4, the vaccine candidate has a T cell antigen mRNA encoding for SARS-CoV-2 non-spike proteins that are conserved across various variants. The…