After a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must begin disclosing data surrounding the approval of COVID-19 vaccines within a span of eight months, Pfizer hopes to step in to ensure that no trade secrets are disclosed when the regulatory agency begins to share that information.

In the last two years, the sheer volume of scientific research focused on COVID-19 has been astounding: thousands of clinical studies, dozens of vaccines and new compounds, and hundreds of approved drugs tested for efficacy. More studies are still being run, especially in light of the Omicron surge and the virus’ ability to evolve.

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 76 percent of the adverse side effects (such as fatigue or headache) that people experienced after receiving their first COVID-19 vaccination were also reported by participants who received a placebo shot.

Two cases of a subvariant of the Omicron variant were identified in Washington state. Two cases were also identified in Houston.

Johnson & Johnson on Jan. 25 forecast as much as $3.5 billion in sales of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine in 2022, a 46% jump for the shot that has fared poorly compared to rivals. Additionally, J&J plans to take a more aggressive stance on deals for the company’s medical device unit.

A third booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson increases antibody levels significantly in those who have previously received two doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac shot, a study has found.

A safety panel of the European drug regulator on January 14 recommended adding a rare spinal inflammation called transverse myelitis as a side effect of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.

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.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration added another warning to the regulatory agency’s fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. In other news, as the Omicron variant rips through the United States, top health officials have noted that the variant is so contagious that if you come into contact with it, you are likely to catch it.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on January 11 amended the fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine to include a rare risk of immune thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder.