Category: Pharmaceuticals
Flu vaccine protective against Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health Houston) have found that older adults vaccinated at least once against influenza (flu) were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than their non-vaccinated peers. This protective effect was strengthened following an annual flu vaccine shot, said Dr. Avram Bukhbinder, a neurology […]
Trial of a novel influenza vaccine commences at NIH
A promising influenza vaccine developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is now entering a Phase 1 clinical trial which will see up to 100 healthy adult volunteers inoculated. The vaccine is to be delivered either as a nasal spray or by intramuscular injection. The vaccine candidate known as […]
Experimental dengue vaccine provides immunity for over four years
A dengue vaccine candidate developed by Takeda Pharmaceutical (Takeda), TAK-003, has shown promising results in a Phase 3 trial, providing continued protection against dengue fever through 4.5 years (54 months) post-vaccination. Data revealed TAK-003 prevented 61% of symptomatic dengue cases and 84% of hospitalised cases with no important safety risks identified in a trial known […]
Complete cancer remission in drug trial development
A small clinical trial of the drug dostarlimab in the US has virtually rid each of its 18 participants of colorectal cancer, one of the most dangerous common cancers known to man. Doctors, stunned with the effectiveness of the drug, are now expanding the trial to include gastric, prostate, and pancreatic cancer patients. Dostarlimab (TSR-042) […]
Dual-action drug treats diabetes and obesity
A new type of treatment called the Mounjaro (tirzepatide) shot has just been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for type 2 diabetes. The once-weekly injection for adults was found to be effective at controlling blood sugar levels and – in some cases – obesity. Mounjaro was developed to mimic a hormone […]
EU drug regulator hopes for approval for adaptive coronavirus vaccines this year
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is hoping to have access to multi-protection vaccines, including one that is able to address several coronavirus variants, by September 2022. Vaccine developers are currently investigating whether shots that target just one variant offer advantages over vaccines that target two variants, said Marco Cavaleri, Head of Biological Health Threats and […]
Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose authorised for Americans over 50
The Head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Peter Marks, has encouraged getting a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for increased protection for high-risk persons. The FDA has already approved a second booster shot or fourth mRNA vaccine dose for American […]
Pfizer, UNICEF to supply Paxlovid COVID-19 oral treatment for low-, middle-income countries
Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) has announced an agreement with UNICEF to supply nearly 4 million treatment courses of its COVID-19 oral treatment to 95 low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 oral treatment, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets), will be given to all low-income and lower-middle-income countries and some upper-middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries that […]
Experimental mRNA-based HIV vaccines enter human trials
Biotechnology company Moderna Inc. (Moderna) has commenced a Phase 1 human trial testing three different mRNA vaccines that targets HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). The success of the “safe and highly effective” COVID-19 vaccines enabled this opportunity, run in association with The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US. The idea this time is similar: […]
