Omicron

Novavax has become the next company to have an updated version of its Covid-19 vaccine approved in the US. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorisation (EUA) of the Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted, for use in individuals 12 years of age and older to include the 2023-2024 formula. Individuals 12 years […]

Approval has been granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for an adapted Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine that targets the Omicron XBB 1.5 subvariant. The new version of Comirnaty was found to meet the UK regulator’s standards of safety, quality and effectiveness and has been approved for use in individuals from six months […]

An update on the latest Covid-19 news by DDW Digital Content Editor Diana Spencer  With winter around the corner and cases once again on the rise, the last few weeks have seen some interesting developments related to Covid-19. We found out that Omicron infection protects against flu, studies in potential treatments for severe Covid have […]

The latest Omicron variants of Covid could be protective against serious influenza infection, a leading testing expert says. The milder variants have now made Covid-19 less dangerous than the flu, though there is still the risk of developing long Covid. Dr Quinton Fivelman PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at London Medical Laboratory, says: “Finally, there may […]

New preclinical authentic ‘live’ virus data from Washington University School of Medicine demonstrated that Evusheld (tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab) retains potent neutralising activity against the emerging and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 subvariant.1 The data also showed that Evusheld retains activity against Omicron BA.1 and BA.1.1.1. The findings were reported online on bioRxiv.  The data  In […]

The startup company Novel Concepts Medical has announced breakthroughs in its research of Covid-19, which include stopping Covid-19, the Omicron Variant, and long Covid-19 symptoms, including memory loss.   The treatment  Its novel plant-based treatment has resulted in successfully inhibiting the Covid-19 Omicron variant and blocking its connection to human cells. Earlier testing demonstrated:  Stopping the […]

Moderna has dosed the first participant in a Phase II study of the company’s Omicron-specific booster candidate (mRNA-1273.529). Additionally, Moderna announced the publication of neutralising antibody data against the Omicron variant six months following a booster dose in The New England Journal of Medicine.   The mRNA-1273.529 trial  This extension of an earlier study will evaluate the immunogenicity, safety, and reactogenicity of […]

A third ‘booster’ dose of Covid-19 vaccine successfully raises antibody levels that neutralise the Omicron variant, according to laboratory findings from the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, published as a Research letter in The Lancet.   The results  Researchers found that antibodies generated in people who had received only two doses of either the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine or […]

Revelar Biotherapeutics and Twist Bioscience have announced that RBT-0813 binds to and neutralises the Omicron and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 in live virus studies.   What is RBT-0813?  RBT-0813 is a bispecific antibody discovered by Twist Biopharma and licensed to Revelar Biotherapeutics that targets epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Revelar has continued to advance preclinical development of RBT-0813 to submit an Investigational […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Following the approval of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology’s Covid-19 drug Xevudy (sotrovimab), the companies have announced an update, with preclinical data demonstrating that sotrovimab, an investigational monoclonal antibody, retains activity against key mutations of the new Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529), including those found in the binding site of sotrovimab.   The testing  These data were generated through pseudo-virus testing of […]

Infex Therapeutics scientists have announced a breakthrough in laboratory trials of a new drug to treat Covid-19 and new variants of the disease, such as the Omicron variant.   Infex’s COV-X programme inhibits a new protease target that is responsible for viral replication across the broad spectrum of SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. As such, this new approach is unaffected by changes to […]

PerkinElmer has announced that the performance of its SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assays are not impacted by the emergence of Omicron (B.1.1.529), a variant of concern that was recently identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).  How the assays work  There are more than 30 Omicron mutations reported in the S gene of SARS-CoV-2. PerkinElmer’s assays do […]