In a peer-reviewed study published May 17 in PLOS Medicine, scientists found that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines were superior to adenovirus vector-based ones across major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
As U.S. COVID-19 cases rise, so does demand for antivirals
Antivirals, Apple, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), CDC, Connecticut, COVID-19 booster shots, COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 Therapeutics, COVID-19 Vaccines, Delaware, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), FDA, Health Officials, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Maine, Massachusetts, Merck, Molnupiravir, New York, Northeast, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, Paxlovid, Pfizer, Regions, Reuters Tally, Rhode Island, Therapeutics, U.S. government, United States, White HouseRising COVID-19 cases are driving up the use of therapeutics, with Pfizer Inc.’s oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid seeing a 315 percent jump over the past four weeks, U.S. health officials said on May 17.
U.S. FDA authorizes Pfizer’s COVID booster shot for young children
BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Children 5-11 Years, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 booster shots, COVID-19 shots, COVID-19 Vaccinations, COVID-19 Vaccines, Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), FDA, Pandemics, Pediatric, Pediatric Vaccines, Pfizer, Therapeutics, VaccinationsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 17 authorized the use of a booster shot of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, making everyone in the United States over the age of 5 eligible for a third shot.
FDA authorizes COVID-19 boosters for kids 5-11 as cases creep up
Antidepressants, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Vaccines, Death Tolls, Fluvoxamine, Generics, Health Outcomes, Healthcare Economics Outcomes Resesarch, Pandemics, Patient Deaths, Pfizer, SARS-CoV-2 virus, TherapeuticsOn May 17, the U.S. FDA authorized a booster of Pfizer’s vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 years. The action comes as major cities are announcing a rise in cases. Additionally, COVID-19 would have claimed over 110,000 more lives in 2021 if not for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a Pfizer-sponsored report on the first year of the U.S. vaccination program.
AstraZeneca boosts COVID portfolio with RQ Bio deal
Acquisitions, AstraZeneca, Biotech, Business, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 Antibodies, COVID-19 shots, COVID-19 Therapeutic, COVID-19 therapeutic candidates, COVID-19 Therapeutics, COVID-19 Therapies, COVID-19 Vaccines, Evusheld (AstraZeneca), Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab; AstraZeneca), Licensing, R&D, Therapeutics, Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca)AstraZeneca moved to bolster the company’s COVID-19 portfolio of antibodies on May 17 with a $157 million licensing deal for experimental therapies developed by newly launched biotech RQ Bio.
U.S. health regulators are expected to authorize a booster shot of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 as soon as May 17, the New York Times reported on May 16, citing people familiar with the matter.
Leader Kim Jong Un ordered North Korea’s military to stabilize distribution of COVID-19 medicine in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle against the country’s first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.
Universal Antivirals Could be the Future for Preventing Pandemics
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Antivirals, BioSpace, Clinical Trials, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Drug Supply Chain, Immune System, Influenza, Pandemics, Pneumonia, R&D, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection, Vaccines, VirusesSince the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased interest in developing a universal antiviral that would stop a pandemic in its tracks.
Explainer: How North Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak could ignite a major health crisis
Coronavirus, Coronavirus Diagnostic Tests, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVAX Facility, COVID-19 Crisis, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Tests, COVID-19 self-testing kit, COVID-19 shots, COVID-19 Testing, Covid-19 Testing Guidance, COVID-19 Therapeutic, COVID-19 vaccination rates, COVID-19 Vaccinations, COVID-19 Vaccines, Diagnostic Tests, North Korea, Outbreaks, Pandemics, Politics, South Korea, Vaccinations, Vaccines, World Health OrganizationNorth Korea’s admission that it is battling an “explosive” COVID-19 outbreak raised concerns that the virus could devastate a country with an under-resourced health system, limited testing capabilities, and no vaccine program.
North Korea reports first COVID-19 death as fever spreads ‘explosively’
Coronavirus, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Self Test, COVID-19 Testing, COVID-19 Vaccines, North Korea, Outbreaks, Pandemics, Politics, Pyongyang, South Korea, Therapeutics, VaccinesAt least one person confirmed to have COVID-19 has died in North Korea and hundreds of thousands have shown fever symptoms, state media said on May 13, offering hints at the potentially dire scale of the country’s first confirmed outbreak of the pandemic.