This paid-for advertorial by Berkeley Lights appeared in DDW Volume 22, Issue 2 – Spring 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated how a coordinated response to infectious diseases can result in the development and commercialisation of novel vaccines and therapies at record pace. Several therapeutic antibodies and vaccine… Read More
A clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of an investigational monoclonal antibody for treating people who are hospitalised with respiratory disease and low blood oxygen due to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, has begun. The Phase II trial, called the Covid-19 anti-CD14 Treatment Trial (CaTT), is… Read More
Olink has created a summary article of a study recently published by Consiglio et al. in Cell. This study focuses on the rare cases when children develop Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in response to infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Typically in these cases the syndrome manifests four to… Read More
A clinical trial is underway to determine whether people who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder are at increased risk for an immediate, systemic allergic reaction to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines. A systemic allergic reaction to a vaccine occurs in one or more parts of… Read More
A new study by Novateur Ventures provides a comparative analysis of twelve Covid-19 vaccines that had initiated or announced the Phase III clinical trial stage by early November 2020. The study highlights the early successes, as well as the hurdles and barriers yet to be overcome for ending the global… Read More
Biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, Moderna, has had antibody persistence data out to six months following the second Covid-19 vaccine dose published in The New England Journal of Medicine. “We are pleased that this new data shows antibody persistence through six months following the second dose… Read More
As the world’s largest generic producer how far advanced is India’s drug discovery push and where does it stand on the global stage? Lu Rahman explores. India has become a key player in the global pharmaceutical sector. The value of its part in this industry is expected to reach $120… Read More
Valneva, a specialty vaccine company focused on the development and commercialisation of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need, has announced positive data for Part A of the Phase I/II clinical trial of its inactivated, adjuvanted Covid-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001. Based on this data, the company plans… Read More
Biotech company Novavax has announced the initiation of crossover arms in two ongoing clinical trials of NVX-CoV2373, the company’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate. Crossover ensures the administration of active vaccine to all participants in the trials and has begun for Novavax’ Phase IIb trial in South Africa and its pivotal Phase… Read More
A batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been destroyed following a mix up with ingredients at a production site Emergent Biosolutions, in Baltimore. It is thought this could be around 15 million doses, writes the Independent. According to a report in the Guardian, workers at the plant manufacturing coronavirus… Read More
When variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2020, concern arose that they might elude protective immune responses generated by prior infection or vaccination, potentially making re-infection more likely or vaccination less effective. To investigate this possibility, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the… Read More
Novavax, a biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, GSK and the UK Government Vaccines Taskforce announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to support manufacturing of up to 60 million doses of Novavax’ Covid-19 vaccine candidate (NVX-CoV2373) for use in the UK. GSK will provide… Read More
Three case studies from Berkeley Lights The Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated how a coordinated response to infectious diseases can result in the development and commercialisation of novel vaccines and therapies at record pace. Berkeley Lights has established multiple partnerships worldwide to provide access to its platform to rapidly accelerate the… Read More
Shelley McLendon, VP of Project Management, Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at ICON, outlines best practices that can keep trials running at optimal speed and efficiency, and the benefits of adopting a strategic partnership. The world responded to the Covid-19 crisis at unprecedented speed — including vaccine development. During a pandemic, timing… Read More
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have identified the most toxic proteins made by SARS-COV-2 and then used an FDA-approved cancer drug to blunt the viral protein’s detrimental effects. In experiments in fruit flies and human cell lines, the team discovered the cell process that the virus… Read More
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology have announced the submission of an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for VIR-7831 (GSK4182136), an investigational dual-action SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of adults and adolescents (aged 12 years and older weighing at least 40… Read More
