Moderna, COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna Inc. has made all necessary submissions required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents and children.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced a leadership change at the helm and the discontinuation of a Phase III COVID-19 vaccine study.

Just as Emergent BioSolutions looked to be making some headway in course corrections following a production mishap that ruined millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, new information indicates the Maryland-based company sought to hide the deficiencies from federal regulators, all while touting its manufacturing capabilities, according to a BioSpace article.

Pfizer

Pfizer Inc. said on May 10 the company will pay $11.6 billion to buy Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co., making a big bet on its ability to boost sales of the top-selling pill in a new class of migraine drugs.

Novavax

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.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, pulmonologist Joseph Varon offered an opinion that made headlines around the world and went viral on social media. Varon was fighting two wars, he said: one against COVID and one against stupidity.

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.

Moderna

Moderna is still fending off patent challenges over the lipid nanoparticle delivery system used in the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax.

BioNTech’s first-quarter 2022 sales and earnings more than tripled due to demand for the COVID-19 vaccine the company developed with Pfizer, but the German biotech firm is still forecasting a full-year decline in vaccine sales.

COVID-19 vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they could over the last 18 months.