The White House is preparing for a scenario in which Congress fails to approve President Joe Biden’s request for additional COVID funds by reviewing old contracts to see if there is any money it can “claw back,” the president’s top COVID adviser said on May 12.

Half of the COVID-19 patients discharged from a Chinese hospital in early 2020 still have at least one symptom two years later, a new study shows. Additionally, new findings suggest patterns of inflammatory proteins in the blood of people with long COVID may someday help guide individualized treatment.

The United States will share technologies used to make COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization and is working to expand rapid testing and antiviral treatments for hard-to-reach populations, President Joe Biden said on May 12.

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.