Although 2020 was a tough year for the biopharma industry — and most other industries as well — it appeared to rebound significantly in mid-2021. However, biotech stocks are generally getting hammered during 2022, although to be fair, the entire stock market is down.
The U.S. health regulator said on April 5 GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology’s antibody therapy was no longer authorized as a COVID-19 treatment, with data suggesting it was unlikely to be effective against the dominant Omicron sub-variant in the country.
FDA says current dose of GSK-Vir COVID therapy unlikely to work against BA.2 variant
Bebtelovimab (LY-CoV1404; LY3853113), CDC, Columbia University, COVID-19 Antibodies, COVID-19 treatment pill, FDA, GlaxoSmithKline, Molnupiravir, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, Paxlovid, Remdesivir, Sotrovimab, Vir BiotechnologyThe U.S. health regulator said on March 25 the current authorized dose of GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology’s COVID-19 antibody therapy is unlikely to be effective against the Omicron BA.2 variant.
After producing vaccines and treatments for acute COVID-19 in record time, researchers and drugmakers are turning to finding a cure for long COVID, a more elusive target marked by hundreds of different symptoms afflicting millions of people.
GeoVax vaccine targeting virus in two places shows promise; virus may become resistant to antibody drugs
Antibody Studies, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Cell, Clinical Trials, COVID-19 Studies, Delta Variant (B.1.617.2; India), Genetics, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunosuppression, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), Medical Journals, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Mutations, New England Journal of Medicine, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), R&D, Researchers, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, The Lancet, The Lancet Microbe, Vir BiotechnologyAn experimental vaccine developed by GeoVax Labs Inc. succeeded in promoting development of antibodies that target two different sites on the virus in a small pilot study and was advanced to mid-stage clinical trials, researchers reported.
COVID-19 patients who receive one of the few antibody treatments that works against the Omicron variant must be carefully monitored because after the drug is infused, the virus may mutate and become resistant to it, researchers warned after seeing such cases with Delta variant patients.
COVID-19 Update: Omicron BA.2 Raises Questions, FDA Limits GSK Antibody
BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), CDC, Clinical Trials, Coronavirus Cases, Covid-19 Data, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Vaccinations, FDA, GlaxoSmithKline, Monoclonal Antibodies, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C), Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, R&D, Sotrovimab, Teenagers, Vir BiotechnologyThe BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, which appears to be even more transmissible than Omicron, is accounting for more than a third of global COVID-19 cases. In other news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed limits on the use of GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology’s COVID-19 antibody therapeutic, sotrovimab.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on February 23 GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotech’s COVID-19 antibody treatment should not be used in places with circulation of variants that are not susceptible to the drug.
GSK-Vir therapy has neutralizing activity against Omicron sub-variant, data shows
Antibodies, Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies (bNAbs), Clinical Data, Clinical Trials, Columbia University, Covid-19 Data, COVID-19 Studies, GlaxoSmithKline, Monoclonal Antibodies, Omicron BA.2, R&D, Researchers, Sotrovimab, Vir BiotechnologyAn 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.
COVID Update: Revisiting the Lab-Leak Theory and Under 5 Vaccination
Beijing, CDC, Children, China, Clinical Data, Clinical Trials, Covid-19 Data, COVID-19 Infections, COVID-19 Origins, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), GlaxoSmithKline, Heart Disease, Heart Problems, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Neutralizing Antibodies, New England Journal of Medicine, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, R&D, Scripps Research Institute, Vir BiotechnologyJane 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.
GSK sees sales growth in 2022 after quarterly beat, prepares for spin-off
Business, Clinical Trials, Consumer Healthcare, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 Antibodies, Deals, Forecasts, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Quarterly results, R&D, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection, Settlements, Shingles, Therapeutics, Vaccines, Vir BiotechnologyBritain’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.