An antibody-based COVID-19 therapy developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology retains neutralizing activity against the emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to data from a laboratory study cited by Vir on February 10.

Biogen Inc. is urging Medicare to broadly reimburse the company’s recently authorized Alzheimer’s drug, in response to a proposal by the U.S. government to sharply limit coverage of new drugs for the brain-wasting disease.

Jane Qiu, a freelance science writer based in Beijing, published an overview of her efforts to investigate the lab-leak theory for the origin of COVID-19. In another update, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on February 15 to discuss an amended Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age.

Britain’s GSK forecast growth in 2022 after racking up 1.4 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) in COVID-related sales in 2021, beating quarterly forecasts in the company’s first earnings report since rejecting Unilever’s bid for GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer arm.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has hit companies unevenly, some biopharma firms that have produced new drugs or vaccines against the disease have shown big spikes in drug sales. BioSpace reviewed five companies that produced non-vaccine treatments for COVID-19.

Amgen posted a 3 percent rise in total 2021 fourth-quarter revenue to $6.8 billion and a 2 percent increase in total revenue for the year to $26 billion, driven mainly through wins from “other” gains. 

Novavax

Novavax Inc. delivered just a small fraction of the 2 billion COVID-19 shots the company plans to send around the world in 2022 and has delayed first-quarter shipments in Europe and lower income countries such as the Philippines, public officials involved in their government’s vaccine rollouts told Reuters.

To address a lack of diversity, California-based Medable and CVS have forged a collaboration to improve patient access to clinical trial research.

Biogen

The U.S. antitrust regulator asked Biogen Inc. to present documents related to the approval and marketing of the company’s Alzheimer’s disease treatment, the drugmaker disclosed in a filing.

Biogen

Biogen Inc. on Feb. 3 forecast 2022 profit well below Wall Street estimates as sales of the company’s new Alzheimer’s disease drug stall amid questions over Aduhelm’s efficacy and a looming U.S. government coverage decision that could severely limit the medicine’s future use and force further cost cutting.