Category: Pharmaceuticals
Indonesia first to approve use of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine
Indonesian Food and Drugs Agency (BPOM) has granted approval for the use of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by a Chinese company, Walvax Biotechnology. Indonesia thus becomes the first country to grant emergency use approval for that vaccine, ahead of even China. Indonesia has gone ahead with the approval despite unpublished efficacy readings for Walvax’s […]
Novavax’s COVID shot open for adolescents, CDC says
Novavax Inc.’s (Novavax) protein-based COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in adolescents between 12 to 17 years old, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Monday. It was just last week that the vaccine received authorisation from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its use for the same […]
Tumour destroyed in days in mice implanted with “drug factory” beads
Specially-developed “drug factory” beads continually generate a type of protein that helps eradicate cancerous tumours: scientists at Rice University in Texas, US, noticed that mice implanted with the drug factory beads were soon free of mesothelioma cancer growths, a very aggressive type of cancer that forms in the tissue lining around internal organs. The drug […]
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 […]
