The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee rejected an sBLA for a third, booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty from Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE for ages 16 and over, then unanimously approved a recommendation for those ages 65 and older along with individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19 to get the booster.
Nearly 18% of clinical data reported in August were focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, representing the highest percentage for any single month this year. During the month, as the Delta variant took hold throughout the U.S., news of COVID-19 efforts spiked, doubling the amounts seen in both June and July, in which about 9% of the news was pandemic-related, and up significantly from 10% in May.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Abbvie, Amivas, Biocryst, Calliditas, Camurus, Cour, GSK, Golden, NFL, Pfizer, Stada, Takeda.
As members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team talk about COVID-19 boosters as if they are a fait accompli for Americans even before the FDA completes its evaluation of the data, the controversy continues to roil around the need for another vaccine dose.
Continuing an upward trajectory, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI) has climbed more than 10% since the start of this year, following sharp drops at the end of March and May. Shares began to rebound in June and the index has shown a steady incline, similar with the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which is currently up 12%.
The Biden administration’s haste to roll out an eight-month COVID-19 vaccine booster program next week is bumping up against the reality of the data and the regulatory process.
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