Category: Pharmaceuticals
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine now stable at warmer temperatures
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech late last year was advised to be kept at ultra-cold temperatures to prevent degradation – the ultra-cold storage requirement has inevitably been a difficult and expensive problem to overcome in many parts of the world. However, new company data from Pfizer suggests its vaccine […]
First shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Malaysia
The first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Malaysia on Sunday – 312,390 doses that were flown to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang are part of a total of 32 million doses Malaysia is procuring from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc to battle the pandemic. The next batch is scheduled to […]
Cheap lice drug claims potential treatment vs Covid-19
For as low as £1.50 per treatment, this lice treatment drug may be used to help Covid-19 patients, according to a Dr Andrew Hill, who led the research on the potential of Ivermectin in treating Covid-19 patients. Ivermectin was discovered in the 1970s and has fast become an essential medicine for a vast number of parasitic infections, […]
Malaysian pharma firm to manufacture Sinovac vaccine by March
Malaysia’s largest integrated pharmaceutical company, Phamaniaga Bhd is manufacturing two million doses/month of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine starting this March. The deal between the two companies is for the supply of 14 million doses of the vaccine to be carried out for fill and finish activity. According to Pharmaniaga’s Managing Director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope, the vaccine […]
Thailand preps for Sinovac Covid-19 shots; FDA warns no documents, no approval
Thailand is underway to receive some 200,000 doses of Chinese-made Sinovac next month, according to news reports; Medical front liners, elderly people, and those in the high-risk groups are said to be prioritized. The country has secured two million doses from Sinovac and will be arriving in batches of 800,000 and 1 million from March […]
EC ok’s US-made Covid-19 vaxx use in Europe; secures 160 mn doses
The European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for Covid-19 vaccine Moderna, to be rolled out across the European Union. The authorisation is based upon the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use of the Moderna vaccine for active immunisation to prevent Covid-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus in individuals 18 years of age and older. The European […]
Thailand secures 2 mn Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines; gets first 200K in Feb
Thailand is reportedly getting its first 200,000 Covid-19 vaccines from Sinovac Biotech next month. It is expected to receive the remaining batches of 800,000 vaccines by March, and 1 million vaccines by April. It targets to inoculate at least half of its 70 million population, according to health officials. Thailand has also started local production […]
Pfizer/BioNTech first in WHO list for emergency use COVID-19 vaccine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use, making the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine the first to receive emergency validation from WHO since the outbreak began a year ago. Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products hails it as “a very positive step towards […]
Portable ultrasound probe offers quick, wireless imaging
US-based medical device company Vave Health Inc. has created a portable ultrasound probe (Vave) that can be carried in a pocket. The imagery can be viewed in real time using an app on a Wi-Fi-linked iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, and footage can be saved both on the mobile device and on an encrypted […]
NZ to roll-out COVID-19 vaccine in mid-2021
New Zealand (NZ) will begin to offer free COVID-19 vaccines to all of the country’s 5 million people by the middle of next year. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that “NZ’s largest immunisation roll-out ever” is thanks to vaccines secured from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer-BioNTech (1.5 million doses, AstraZeneca (7.6 million doses) and Novavax (10.72 million […]