Moderna Inc.’s phase III win with its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, lifted spirits while validating the Cambridge, Mass.-based firm’s platform, as Wall Street buzzed with comparisons between the prospects that have yielded late-stage data thus far.

LONDON – A second phase III trial of Johnson & Johnson’s adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccine is starting in the U.K. this week, amid concerns the positive news from the Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE vaccine study will deter volunteers from coming forward to take part.

A Polish/Dutch team of investigators has reported new insights into the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that suggests it could be amenable to both small-molecule and oligonucleotide drugs.

PERTH, Australia – The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital health technology, and the Australian government quickly enabled programs in telehealth and e-prescriptions. It now is embracing opportunities to build on this momentum to accelerate the country’s economic digital transformation. Not only will this transformation contribute to Australia’s recovery, but also to its long-term prosperity, said Sue MacLeman, chair of Australia’s Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Industry Growth Centre (MTPConnect), during a recent ANDHealth teleconference.

Qiagen NV has started U.S. commercialization of a portable SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing device that can analyze up to 30 patient samples an hour. The Qiareach test features a portable hub device – smaller than a laptop – that can hold up to eight nasopharyngeal swab samples at a time. The test provides a digital readout of the results in two to 15 minutes – with strong positive results taking closer to two minutes and negative results coming back in 15 minutes.