The U.S. FDA has approved its first fecal microbiota treatment. Rebyota (fecal microbiota, live-jslm), from privately held Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., is now approved to prevent recurring Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in adults. The Nov. 30 approval came about two months after the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 13-4 to support the microbiome therapy’s effectiveness in reducing recurrent CDI in adults after antibiotic treatment for recurrent CDI.
Quantbiores A/S has discovered peptides acting as spike glycoprotein (S) (SARS-CoV-2)/ACE2 interaction inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19).
Texas A&M University System has discovered 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Biondvax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has reported statistically significant efficacy results from an in vivo proof-of-concept study of its innovative inhaled nanosized antibody (NanoAb) COVID-19 therapy.
Investigators at the University of Bristol and Biognos AB have identified a structural feature that distinguished the deadly coronavirus strains from harmless, common cold-causing variants. The findings, which were published in the Nov. 23, 2022, issue of Science Advances, could form the basis of universal COVID antivirals, putting an end to the endless race to deal with new variants that has so far been a necessity.
The researchers showed that the same pocket, a binding site for linoleic acid (LA), was present in all variants of concern (VOCs) that have emerged since 2020. “Intriguingly, all SARS-CoV-2 VOCs stringently maintain this pocket, notably including Omicron, which accumulated a wide range of mutations in [the spike protein] elsewhere, suggesting that the pocket provides a selective advantage for the virus,” they wrote in their paper.
Animal models recapitulating the immune features of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are very limited. An Osaka University research team has developed a novel murine model of CHB and tested the efficacy and immunomodulating effects of interferon-α (IFN-α) therapy.
Researchers from Gilead Sciences Inc. presented preclinical data for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine candidates GS-2829 and GS-6779. Conservation analysis and functional immunogenicity screening were applied to identify optimized anti-hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).
An in-depth investigation of the underlying causes of pulmonary symptoms that in some cases persist for months following recovery from the acute stage of COVID-19 has found a distinctive proinflammatory signature in the plasma and airways of affected patients.
Pfizer Inc. and Biontech SE have initiated a phase I study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of BNT-162b4, a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate that aims to enhance SARS-CoV-2 T-cell responses and potentially broaden protection against COVID-19.