The World Health Organization listed AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, widening access in the developing world, while sources said the EU is in talks with Moderna on buying more vaccines.
Sinovac Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use by the general public by China’s medical products regulator.
More than 1 million people have died from Covid-19 in North and South America, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said.
Larger clinical trials are needed to assess whether Roche’s Actemra (tocilizumab) can cut death rates among the sickest Covid-19 patients after a small study found the arthritis drug was no better than standard care in severe cases.
Oxford scientists are preparing to rapidly produce new versions of their vaccine to combat emerging more contagious Covid-19 variants discovered in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, The Telegraph reported.
China’s Sinovac Biotech defended the safety and efficacy of the company’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine, after researchers in Brazil released late-stage clinical data showing efficacy that was much lower than initially announced.
The Covid-19 vaccine developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc and Oxford University will likely be authorized for emergency use in the United States in April 2021, the chief adviser for the U.S. Covid-19 vaccine program said.
Global coronavirus infections surpassed the 75 million mark on Dec. 19, according to a Reuters tally, as several nations around the world begin vaccinating against the virus.
AstraZeneca Plc will likely get results of the company’s U.S. Covid-19 vaccine trial in late January 2021 and could potentially file for an emergency authorization, the chief adviser for the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed program said.
The global tally of confirmed coronavirus cases hit 60 million on Nov. 25, with the pace of new infections accelerating and the United States reporting record numbers of hospitalizations, according to a Reuters tally.