COVID-19

The first results of an early trial of a multivariant Covid-19 vaccine booster, launched in Manchester in September 2021, has shown it is driving a comprehensive immune response.  The results  US-based biotechnology company Gritstone bio, in collaboration with The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, revealed the initial Phase I clinical data […]

Marinomed Biotech, an Austrian biotech company, has announced results of the antiviral efficacy of iota-carrageenan (Carragelose) against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and variants of concern (VOC), including the Delta variant. This has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.   Collaboration   The peer-reviewed study is the result of a collaboration between virologists at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität […]

Novavax has been granted conditional marketing authorisation by the European Commission (EC) for Nuvaxovid Covid-19 vaccine.  Context  The vaccine is for active immunisation to prevent Covid-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 18 years of age and older and the authorisation follows the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommendation to authorize the vaccine […]

Research by the Riken Institute in Tokyo, published in the British journal Communications Biology, offers an explanation for Japan’s success in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic when compared with other countries. The research is a piece of the puzzle of why there remains relatively low rates of death and serious illness from Covid-19 in Japan.  Following […]

New research from Qatar, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found that the natural immunity from prior infection of Covid-19 has a 92% efficacy against reinfection of the Beta variant, and a 98% efficacy against reinfection of the Alpha variant.   The study  The study looked at a national cohort of Qataris, comparing […]

Noorik Biopharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company repurposing micro-dose ambrisentan for the treatment of kidney, liver, and respiratory diseases, signed a contract with the Federal Government of Switzerland to develop ambrisentan as a treatment for patients with severe Covid-19.   Why?  The investment, under the Federal Funding Programme for Covid-19 Medicines initiative, will enable the acceleration of the clinical development of ambrisentan. The contract will […]

Pfizer has announced results from an analysis of 2,246 adults enrolled in its Phase II/III EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for Covid-19 in High-Risk Patients) trial of its novel Covid-19 oral antiviral candidate Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir [PF-07321332] tablets and ritonavir tablets).   The results   These results show that  Paxlovid significantly reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death for any cause by 89% compared to […]

Researchers from the University of Oxford have analysed the impact of the Omicron Covid-19 variant of concern on one of the immune responses generated by vaccination.  The study  Using blood samples from individuals who had previously received two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines as part of the Com-COV study, and a live virus isolate, they […]

PerkinElmer has announced the research use only (RUO) launch of the NEXTFLEX Variant-Seq SARS-CoV-2 Kit v2 to accelerate the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants, which will allow laboratories to increase sequencing throughput and make reliable variant identifications.  What is NEXTFLEX?   Using positive SARS-CoV-2 samples, the NEXTFLEX Variant-Seq SARS-CoV-2 Kit v2 detects mutations associated with all SARS-CoV-2 […]

According to a new study, scientists have found chewing gum laced with a plant-grown protein serves as a “trap” for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reducing viral load in saliva and potentially tamping down transmission.  The study  The work, led by Henry Daniell at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine and performed in collaboration with scientists at […]