The speed that pharmaceutical companies developed COVID-19 treatments and vaccines was “seemingly miraculous,” said Dr. George Yancopoulos, co-founder of Regeneron (NSDQ: REGN), in remarks when receiving a Titans of Global Health award. “But these miracles were actually born many decades earlier,” he said at the virtual event ceremony from the American Friends of the Hebrew University.…
U.S. government classifies threat levels of SARS-CoV-2 variants
The number of SARS-CoV-2 variants with enhanced transmissibility and resistance to antibodies is increasing, prompting the U.S. government to issue guidance on how to classify them. The criteria divide variants into three categories including the following: Variant of interest: This virus type has genetic markers that have been linked to a potentially increased risk. Examples…
Lilly’s bamlanivimab and etesevimab cut COVID-19 hospitalization and deaths in study
A recent Phase 3 trial found that bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) administered jointly led to an 87% reduction in hospitalization and deaths in high-risk patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial administered 700 mg of bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) and 1400 mg of etesevimab (LY-CoV016) to 511 patients in the treatment arm. FDA…