The biotech industry's rapid response to COVID-19, a pivot of global scope, is driving a broad array of approaches to tackling the infection. On Monday, the first day of BIO's virtual convention, the trade group gathered some of the effort's leading voices to take stock of how those efforts are shaping up. It put a spotlight on work underway at Athersys Inc., Regeneron Inc., SAB Biotherapeutics Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Vir Biotechnology Inc.

When BIO 2019 closed its doors in Philadelphia last June, none of the delegates of the industry’s largest event would have predicted that the next meeting, scheduled for San Diego, would be canceled and the event would be transformed into a virtual version. In just a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated our normal way of life and, until effective therapeutics and vaccines become available, how we conduct the business of biotechnology will remain radically different. This will be one of the many themes explored during BIO Digital Week that kicked off today.

PERTH, Australia – Aussie biotech CSL Ltd. and the University of Queensland (UQ) have entered a development agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate  development, manufacture and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Queensland.

LONDON – After all the controversy and a huge dose of hype, there is no clinical benefit from the use of hydroxychloroquine in patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, according to headline data from a large randomized trial of potential drugs for the infection currently running in the U.K.

LONDON – The foundation stone of a system to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines was put in place by the global vaccines summit on June 4, with 12 donors pledging $567 million in seed money for an advance market commitment (AMC) program.