Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Inmazeb and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP’s Ebanga earned a ringing endorsement from the World Health Organization (WHO) in its first ever guideline on Ebola therapies. In releasing the guideline Aug. 19, WHO officials celebrated the fact that Ebola is no longer “a near certain killer” – provided treatment starts as soon as possible following diagnosis.
After nearly four decades as director of the U.S. NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), 81-year-old Anthony Fauci will be stepping down in December. He also announced Aug. 22 that he will be handing over the reins as chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation and as chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.
The University of Michigan, the University of Illinois and the Penn State Research Foundation have presented rifamycin derivatives acting as RNA polymerase (bacterial) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of tuberculosis.
The Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis is progressing two investigational tuberculosis combination treatment regimens into phase II trials under a joint development agreement.
It’s been a patchy year for vaccine specialist Valneva SE, in which it saw European orders for its delayed
COVID-19 vaccine dry up but then received a €90.5 million (US$92.1 million) investment from Pfizer Inc. as its Lyme disease vaccine entered phase III. The firm has now hit another setback after the U.S. Department of Defense decided not to take an option for a second year in contract to supply a Japanese encephalitis vaccine, Ixiaro.
Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacterium recovered in orthopedic infections. Exebacase and CF-296 (ContraFect) are known to be anti-staphylococcal lysins with activity against S. aureus.
Blue Water Vaccines Inc. is ready to try its hand at developing a monkeypox vaccine. The company is launching an exploratory program to develop a vaccine attempting to present antigens within its norovirus shell and protrusion virus-like particle (VLP) platform.