Moderna

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 31 gave full approval to Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 18 and older, making Spikevax the second fully approved vaccine for the virus.

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.

A U.S. man with terminal heart disease was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart in a first-of-its-kind surgery, and three days later the patient is doing well, his doctors reported on January 10.

The latest updates from Mesoblast’s Phase III trial on rexlemestrocel-L show that the drug provides the highest benefit when used in patients with certain types of chronic heart failure.

Companies have recently posted major developments in the field of heart disease therapy, including the announcement by AstraZeneca and Moderna that their drug candidate for the treatment of patients with heart failure met the Phase IIA EPICCURE trial’s primary endpoint of safety and tolerability. 

In a summary of some recent studies on Covid-19, an arthritis drug cuts the death risk in high-risk patients and heart medications might help prevent Covid-19 blood clots.

The use of Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech SE’s widely used Covid-19 vaccine marginally increases the risk of heart inflammation, but the risk is higher among those infected with the coronavirus, a study published on Aug. 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abbott’s Amplatzer Amulet Left Atrial Appendage Occluder to treat people with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who are at risk of ischemic stroke.

Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with Covid-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are being studied to assess if they may be possible side effects, Europe’s drugs regulator said on Aug. 11.

Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and death among those with heart disease, according to a study published in the journal BMC Medicine on July 26.