ImmunityBio shared interim results from the company’s ongoing metastatic pancreatic cancer trial, demonstrating overall survival that is double the historical rate.
Pfizer released data from several studies showing that nirmatrelvir, the active main protease inhibitor of the company’s antiviral combination therapy Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), is effective against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a study conducted by 23andMe and published in Nature Genetics identified a genetic risk factor tied to the loss of smell from COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Complete Response Letter to Chicago’s Levo Therapeutics for the company’s New Drug Application for LV-101, which is being developed as a treatment for hyperphagia (excessive overeating), anxiousness and distress associated with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).
A fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies to even higher levels than the third jab but it is not enough to prevent Omicron infections, according to a preliminary study in Israel.
A Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster shot is 85 percent effective in protecting against being hospitalized by the Omicron variant for 1-2 months after the shot is received, the head of South Africa’s Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said on January 14.
Shares in PharmaMar jumped almost 20 percent on January 11 after the Spanish drugmaker said lab trials suggested the company’s Plitidepsin drug was effective against the main COVID-19 variants, including the highly contagious Omicron.
The Lancet published CanSino Biologics Inc.’s Phase III clinical trial results on the safety and efficacy of the company’s recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine, Convidecia.
Preliminary evidence indicates that COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against infection and transmission linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant, which also carries a higher risk of reinfection, the World Health Organization said on December 15.
Canadian drug developer Medicago’s plant-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate – enhanced by GlaxoSmithKline’s booster – was 75.3 percent effective against the Delta variant of the virus in a late stage study, the two companies said on December 7.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on November 30 the regulatory agency was evaluating the effectiveness of authorized Covid-19 vaccines against the Omicron coronavirus variant and expects to have more information in the next few weeks.
