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.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Abbvie, Aeterna Zentaris, Astrazeneca, Avita Medical, CSL, Engage, Harbour, Healios, Kalytera, Liquidia, Magenta, Novavax, Ryvu, Sorrento, UCB, United Therapeutics.
During a massive disaster or a pandemic, securing the necessary manufacturing capacity, needles, syringes, vials, properly labeled caps, reagents and other supplies is as critical as the development of the product itself. Some experts have been warning about these needs since COVID-19 first began spreading outside of China. Now members of Congress are sounding the alarm.
PERTH, Australia – Melbourne, Australia-based Dimerix Ltd. saw its shares gain 66% on the news that its lead candidate, DMX-200, has been chosen to enter the global REMAP-CAP platform trial as a potential treatment for COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Two major papers on repurposed drugs for COVID-19 by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital face intense skepticism from the research community, prompting the editorial boards of TheNew England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet to publish Expressions of Concern on the validity of the underlying data. Such expressions are often the first step toward an outright retraction.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Aldeyra, Algernon, Anavex, Can-Fite, Elixirgen.
HONG KONG – China’s Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. has struck a deal with Merck KGaA for a clinical trial program in China to investigate the efficacy and safety of Junshi’s anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (MAb), Tuoyi (toripalimab) in combination with Merck’s Erbitux (cetuximab) as a treatment for recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN).