Francis Collins, perhaps one of the U.S.’ biggest cheerleaders for the promise of medical science, announced Oct. 5 that he will be ending his nearly 13-year tenure as NIH director by the end of the year, but he won’t be hanging up his lab coat. The 71-year-old Collins will continue to lead his research lab at the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: AB Science, Allovir, Arcutis, Astrazeneca, Biontech, Celltrion, Coherus, Cour, Daiichi, Heron, Himalaya, Janssen, Kite, Moderna, Novartis, Pfizer, Relmada, Turning Point, Zosano.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Aditxt, Aipharma, Alloy, Alzecure, April19, Dr. Falk, Enveric, Evenus, Lanier, Mindmed, Mydecine, Nabriva, Pacira, Regenerx, Renexxion, Secarna, Taysha, Vedanta, Vistagen.
In addition to the four COVID-19 vaccines it has provisionally approved, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is recommending that two more vaccines – Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s Coronavac and Astrazeneca plc-Serum Institute of India’s Covishield – be considered “recognized vaccines.”
DUBLIN – Redhill Biopharma Inc. is claiming a 62% relative reduction in day 42 mortality from COVID-19 among hospitalized severe patients who received its oral drug, opaganib, as compared with those on placebo. It is also reporting a shorter median time to discharge (10 days vs. 14 days) and a higher proportion of patients on treatment being able to breathe unassisted by day 14 (77% vs. 63.5%).
LONDON – The EMA has changed its stance on booster doses of the Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE COVID-19 vaccine and said they “may now be considered” at least six months after the second dose for people ages 18 and over.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: BMS, Humanigen, Kite, Omeros, Xbrane.