The highly transmissible Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, first identified in India, has become the most prevalent variant among new Covid-19 cases in the United States, according to California-based genomics company Helix.
Members of the U.S. military who were vaccinated against Covid-19 showed higher-than-expected rates of heart inflammation, although the condition was still extremely rare, according to a study released on June 29.
Sanofi announced the company will invest 400 million euros (about $476.4 million) into research and development for vaccines leveraging mRNA technologies.
Infectious disease experts are weighing the need for booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA-based vaccines for Americans who received Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine due to the increasing prevalence of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant.
The successful use of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for Covid-19 has led to a flurry of research studies designed to test these candidates in other illnesses. Translate Bio, for instance, launched a Phase I clinical trial with Sanofi’s vaccines global business unit Sanofi Pasteur to evaluate an mRNA-based investigational vaccine for the flu.
Washington D.C.-based global science and technology innovator Danaher announced a definitive agreement to acquire Aldevron for $9.6 billion.
Karmen Trzupek, MS, CGC, Director, Rare Disease Genetics and Clinical Trial Services at InformedDNA, talked to Med Ad News about an array of topics including the impact COVID-19 has had on clinical trials throughout the industry.
Some teenagers and young adults who received Covid-19 vaccines experienced heart inflammation, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group said, recommending further study of the rare condition.
The help wanted signs are up across the biopharma industry. According to BioSpace, companies are opening and expanding facilities, which is good news for job seekers.
Building on the success of the company’s mRNA research, BioNTech will establish its first regional hub in the Asia Pacific region. The company will open a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to support a global supply of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics in Singapore.
