Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Abl, Angany, Contrafect, Arcus, Ascendis, Athenex, Atriva, Atyr, Biovaxys, Beximco, Cstone, Dotbio, Edigene, Eisai, Gamida, Gilead, Huyabio, I-Mab, Imvax, Massachusetts General Hospital, Merck & Co., Ridgeback, Shanghai, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Washington University School of Medicine.
LONDON – PCR point of care testing specialist Quantumdx Group Ltd. is poised to accelerate its commercial development in China, after the Hong Kong venture capital fund Vita Spring made a £15 million (US$20.3 million) equity investment.
New positive phase III study results for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s COVID-19 monoclonal antibody cocktail show a single dose reduced the risk of contracting the virus by 81.6% during a two- to eight-month follow-up period. The strong data go along with Pfizer Inc.’s recent positive results for its oral antiviral, Paxlovid, hinting that COVID-19 therapeutics could begin cutting into powerful mRNA vaccine margins from Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE and Moderna Inc.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Bharat, Novavax, Nrx, Ocugen, Opiant, Tris.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Bluestar Genomics, Orchestra Biomed, Penumbra, Proteomics International, Seastar Medical.
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Achiko, Magforce, Nexstim, Thomas Scientific, Veracyte, Zealand Pharma, Deka.
Just a day after the world's first approval of Merck & Co. Inc.'s oral antiviral for COVID-19 positioned it to offer a new way to keep Britons at high risk of severe disease out of the hospital, Pfizer Inc. is stopping a phase II/III trial of its oral antiviral, Paxlovid, early for "overwhelming efficacy" in a similar group. Interim results showed that combining the drug, also known as PF-07321332, with ritonavir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death for adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 but at high risk of severe disease by 89% vs. placebo.