The Omicron variant of the coronavirus does not have a negative effect on cardiovascular health in young adults who have been vaccinated, a small study suggests. Additionally, women should not delay routine mammograms after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, experts now say.
Study: mRNA vaccines perform better against COVID-19 variants of concern
AstraZeneca, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Vaccines, Covid-19 Variants, Janssen, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), Johnson & Johnson, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, Moderna, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Pandemics, Peer-Reviewed Analysis, Pfizer, PLOS Medicine, R&D, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Therapeutics, Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca)In a peer-reviewed study published May 17 in PLOS Medicine, scientists found that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines were superior to adenovirus vector-based ones across major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Novavax Inc.’s shares plunged nearly 20 percent in premarket trading on May 10 due to uncertainty over global demand for the company’s COVID-19 vaccine following a slow start to deliveries.
BioNTech continues to build on the success of the company’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine co-developed with Pfizer, rapidly expanding its investigational pipeline to include additional infectious diseases and oncology with a first-in-class CAR-T program in solid tumors.
Obesity may weaken vaccine protection; unvaccinated Omicron patients face risk from variants
AstraZeneca, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Body Mass Index (BMI), CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech), COVID-19 immunity, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Vaccinations, COVID-19 Vaccines, Covid-19 Variants, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Immune System, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), Johnson & Johnson, Medical Journals, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Nature, Nature Communications, Obesity, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), R&D, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Sinovac, South Africa, TurkeySevere obesity may weaken the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in those who have never been infected with the coronavirus, according to a small Turkish study. Additionally, South African researchers have found infection with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus can significantly improve the immune system’s ability to protect against other variants, but only in people who have been vaccinated.
Valneva said on May 4 the French drugmaker will conduct a trial about the use of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate VLA2001 as a booster jab following a mRNA vaccination or natural infection.
Arcturus Therapeutics announced positive Phase III trial results for the company’s mRNA vaccine candidate ARCT-154, which is intended to prevent COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Omicron infection induces limited immune response in unvaccinated; COVID hospital deaths rise on weekends
Coronavirus Infections, COVID-19 Antibodies, Covid-19 Data, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Studies, Covid-19 Variants, Immune Response, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, R&D, World Health OrganizationUnvaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant are unlikely to develop immune responses that will protect them against other variants of the coronavirus, a new study suggests. Additionally, the average number of global deaths from COVID-19 were 6 percent higher on weekends compared to weekdays throughout the pandemic, according to statistics reported to the World Health Organization between March 2020 and March 2022.
RedHill pill shows promise vs Omicron; mRNA vaccines appear effective in those with well-controlled HIV
Antibiotics, Antiretroviral Therapy, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 treatment pill, Gilead, HIV, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, JAMA, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), R&D, Remdesivir, SteroidsAn experimental drug being developed by RedHill Biopharma Ltd. that improved outcomes in a randomized trial involving severely ill COVID-19 patients infected with earlier versions of the coronavirus is showing promise against the Omicron variant in test tube experiments, researchers said. Additionally, people living with well-controlled HIV infections are likely to have immune responses to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and from Pfizer/BioNTech similar to those of otherwise healthy individuals, according to new data.
At the Clinical Trials Plenary Session at the 2022 AACR Annual Meeting, Dr. John Haanen, M.D., Ph.D., of the Netherlands Cancer Institute presented data from BioNTech’s ongoing first-in-human Phase I/II trial of the company’s CAR-T cell therapy BNT211 in patients with advanced solid tumors.