Severe 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.
The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is now limited to certain individuals ages 18 and up after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration downgraded its emergency use authorization.
The first World Trade Organization meeting to discuss a draft agreement to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines went “very well”, its chair said on May 6.
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.
Moderna Inc. on May 4 forecast higher vaccine sales for the second half of 2022 than in the first six months of the year, as the company expects the virus that causes COVID-19 to follow a more seasonal pattern requiring booster shots in the fall.
Asthma in children may worsen after an infection with the coronavirus, doctors warn. Additionally, among people who were previously infected with the coronavirus, a third dose of an mRNA vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna may not boost their protection against the Omicron variant of the virus, according to new data.
Pfizer Inc. maintained sales forecasts for the company’s pandemic products on May 3 after a series of hikes to revenue projections for its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, in a sign that dizzying growth has slowed.
Moderna Inc.’s chief medical officer said on Sunday the company’s vaccine for children under 6 years old will be ready for review by a Food and Drug Administration panel when it meets in June.
Two new sublineages of the Omicron coronavirus variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection well enough to trigger a new wave, but are far less able to thrive in the blood of people vaccinated against COVID-19, South African scientists found.
AstraZeneca topped off a very busy week with the company’s first-quarter 2022 financial report, citing a total of $11.39 billion in revenue, a whopping increase of 60 percent. That performance was driven by the acquisition of Alexion and several contracts for Vaxzevria, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford.
