CAJICA, Colombia – Brazil's Butantan Institute and the government of the state of Sao Paulo released efficacy results on Jan. 7 for Coronavac, developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd., that suggest the COVID-19 vaccine is more than 78% effective.

HONG KONG – China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said that BBIBP-CorV, one of the two COVID-19 vaccines it currently has under development, provides 79.34% protection against the coronavirus.

Amsterdam-based Uniqure NV’s regulatory hitch with its highly regarded hemophilia B program had analysts questioning during a conference call what the development might mean for the company’s deal with CSL Ltd.

HONG KONG – Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd.’s toripalimab has reached its prespecified primary endpoint of progression-free survival at the interim analysis of a phase III study in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as efforts to expand approval of the anti-PD-1 antibody into other cancer types are underway.

An evolving COVID-19 treatment paradigm may have foiled Mesoblast Ltd.’s phase III with remestemcel-L in ventilator-dependent patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), CEO Silviu Itescu said, but hope remains in pediatric steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD).

New approaches to trials, digitalization and the effective use of technologies like artificial intelligence are reshaping how clinical trials are conducted, drugs are discovered, and devices are developed.

Three months after completing what it said was the largest development and commercialization deal by a Chinese biotech, I-Mab Biopharma Co. Ltd. is moving the monoclonal antibody at the heart of the deal deeper into the clinic.

Australian biopharma Immutep Ltd. saw its stock price jump 165% Dec. 10, as the company reported that adding its eftilagimod alpha (IMP-321, “efti”) to paclitaxel resulted in what the company called a “promising and improving” trend toward increased overall survival in women with metastatic hormone receptor-driven breast cancer.

PERTH, Australia – The University of Queensland (UQ) and CSL Ltd. are abandoning their trials of an Australian COVID-19 vaccine after recipients generated HIV antibodies during phase I trials. The response means the antibodies produced by the vaccine can interfere with HIV diagnostic tests. However, there was no possibility the vaccine caused infection, and routine follow-up tests confirmed no HIV virus was present, the partners said.