In deals worth billions, Sanofi SA and Glaxosmithkline plc (GSK) have made new agreements this week to supply the U.S. and U.K. governments with a COVID-19 vaccine. The two companies also are in advanced discussions with the European Union to supply up to 300 million doses of a vaccine.
NEW DELHI – If India’s government has its way, the country could launch a vaccine for COVID-19 in mid-August, an extremely short deadline that has caused controversy and pushed companies to speed up their development and the trials of prospective vaccines.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Acasti, Ascletis, Eisai, Fortress, Janssen, Redhill, Revive, Roche, Sound.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Axovant, Biontech, Harbour Biomed, Hoth, Immunoprecise, Isoprene, Nicox, Oxford, Qilu, Regeneron, Sesen, Viva, Visufarma.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Arcutis, Baudax, Endo, Highlight, Horizon, Ico, Pfizer.
HONG KONG – Suwon-based Olix Pharmaceuticals Inc. is completing the final preclinical work before starting clinical trials for its as-yet-unnamed COVID-19 drug candidate, developed inside three months using RNA interference (RNAi) technology.
Six months to the day that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a public health emergency, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with its hideous red spikes, continues to taunt the world, hopping from host to host and haunting humans, many of whom wonder the same thing: What’s next?
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee met for a second time in three days to address the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the COVID-19 pandemic. While a witness said the Defense Production Act (DPA) is no panacea for production, one message emerging from the hearing is that producers need to hear from end users about demand just as much as users need to know about available inventories.
Hologic Inc. beat expectations for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, posting net earnings of $137.9 million, or 53 cents a share, up 46.9% from the same period a year ago. Worldwide revenue declined 3.5% to $822.9 million, due to the divestiture of Cynosure Holdings Inc., but grew 7.7% organically (8.1% in constant currency), as demand for COVID-19 tests offset a slide in other businesses.