Category: Pharmaceuticals
First oral treatment for COVID-19 approved for use in US
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the use of an antiviral treatment specifically for COVID-19, designed in pill form by pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer). Called Paxlovid, the treatment can be used by both adults and children over 12 at risk of severe COVID-19; the treatment must be initiated within five days […]
Two doses of Sinovac vaccine found insufficient against coronavirus variant
The Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will remain as part of Singapore’s national vaccination programme as a three-dose regime, inspite of recent findings by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). The joint study has found that people who received two doses of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine have lower protection against severe […]
US-FDA authorises AstraZeneca’s new COVID-19 antibody treatment
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s (AZ) first preventative COVID-19 drug has been approved for use by the US Food & Drug Administration (US-FDA). The drug, now formally named Evushield, is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies that work together to prevent infection in vulnerable and immunocompromised populations. Treatment is delivered by intramuscular injection and offers robust protection […]
New Omicron-specific vaccine to be ready by January, Novavax
Biotechnology company Novavax Inc. (Novavax) anticipates developing and mass manufacturing an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine as soon as January next year. Different from current mRNA vaccines, Novavax’s new protein subunit vaccine involves engineering host cells – from a moth – to produce large quantities of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. These proteins are then harvested and shaped […]
Longer dose interval between vaccinations produces stronger immune response
Delaying the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination brings about a stronger immune response, claim investigators of study conducted under the Canadian COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF). The peer-reviewed study looked into how the pandemic has affected paramedics in North America, and is part of a larger COVID-19 Occupational Risks, Seroprevalence and Immunity among Paramedics […]
Current vaccines likely ineffective against new coronavirus variant
The CEO of drugmaker Moderna, Stéphane Bancel, has said the current crop of COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus; and that it could take months to begin shipping a vaccine that does work against it. Omicron (B.1.1.529) exhibits a high number of mutations on the protein […]
India sitting on 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, SII CEO says
Nearly 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are lying unused in Indian states as people refuse to get vaccinated. “The vaccine industry has worked tirelessly to provide enough stocks for the nation,” said the CEO of top vaccine maker the Serum Institute of India (SII) Adar Poonawalla. But despite the ample supply, only 41% of […]
Pilot clinical drug trial for treatment of infantile spasms
The first patient in an AC-21-024 study, a pilot clinical trial of tricaprilin for the treatment of Infantile Spasms, has been enrolled by Cerecin, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing ketogenic agents as potential neurotherapeutics. Tricaprilin is an investigational oral drug under development for several neurological conditions, including migraine and epilepsy, and is designed to induce ketosis. In October 2020, Cerecin received […]
SCG/Formycon collaborate on COVID-19 drug FYB207 for Asia-Pacific
Innovative biotechnology companies, Singapore-based SCG Cell Therapy Pte Ltd (SCG), and Germany-based Formycon AG (Formycon), have entered into a collaboration and license agreement for a preclinical stage ACE2 immunoglobulin fusion protein, FYB207. The drug has shown promising potential against major variants of COVID-19 and is expected to go into commercialisation for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, […]
Singapore signs supply agreement for Merck’s experimental oral COVID-19 drug
Merck and Co., Inc. (Merck), also known as MSD outside the US and Canada, has just announced a supply and purchase agreement with Singapore that will provide the Republic with access to Merck’s experimental oral antiviral drug for COVID-19. The drug molnupiravir is designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the SARS-CoV-2 virus […]
