COVID-19 vaccine trial Archives - Page 13 of 13

Norway investigating deaths of 23 individuals who received COVID-19 vaccine

Image from Mark König on Unsplash

In Norway, authorities are investigating the deaths of nearly two dozen people who received the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX).

To date, it has analyzed data from 13 of those individuals.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency concluded that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, including fever and nausea, could have contributed to deaths in elderly and frail patients.

The agency said in a statement that it had expected deaths close to the time of vaccination, given its plan to vaccinate elderly patients, many of whom have “serious underlying diseases.” Some 400 people in Norway die each week in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

While it is clear that elderly individuals have a higher risk of mortality from all causes, it will take time to determine what role a vaccine might play, said Updesh Dosanjh, practice le…

Facial swelling and COVID-19 vaccines: 4 facts

Image from Nataliya Vaitkevich via Pexels

Patients with dermal fillers have a small potential risk of developing facial swelling after obtaining mRNA vaccines.

To date, the FDA has noted the problem in three clinical trial recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA). The agency hasn’t observed facial swelling in the Phase 3 clinical trial for the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX).

We reached out to Dr. Whitney Bowe, a board-certified dermatologist and expert injector, to shed light on the topic.

1. Facial fillers ≠ Botox

Delayed inflammation is possible for patients who receive either hyaluronic acid or non-hyaluronic acid fillers. The former option, comprising brands such as Juvéderm from AbbVie subsidiary Allergan (NYSE:ABBV) and Restylane from Galderma Laboratories, is the most common.

Facial fillers, however, are distinct from Boto…

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine apparently effective against ‘UK strain’

The BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) seems to offer protection against the new, more transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus identified in the U.K., according to a study from Pfizer and the University of Texas Medical Branch.

The study has not been currently peer-reviewed.

In additional testing, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appeared to be effective against 15 other strains of SARS-CoV2.

The so-called “UK variant” of COVID-19, also known as the B.1.1.7 strain, has spooked the world in recent weeks, given its potential to exacerbate the pandemic. While the U.K. and South African strains may be transmitted more readily than others, researchers have not linked them to increased severity of COVID-19 infections.

Some commentators had suspected that the mutations would be unlikely to have a significant impact on COVID-19 vaccine performance.

For one thing, the mutations have not led to substantia…

EU OKs Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna Logo (PRNewsFoto/Moderna Therapeutics)

The European Union has authorized the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) ahead of schedule, responding to criticism that it had been too slow in its mass vaccination plans. The E.U. drug regulator had planned on meeting later in the month to discuss the vaccine.

“This vaccine provides us with another tool to overcome the current emergency,” said Emer Cooke, Executive Director of European Medicines Agency (EMA), in a statement. “It is a testament to the efforts and commitment of all involved that we have this second positive vaccine recommendation just short of a year since the pandemic was declared by WHO.”

EMA has also authorized the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) on Dec. 21. It has not, however, given the greenlight to the vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which is now available in the U.…

Akston Biosciences and LakePharma team up on second-generation COVID-19 vaccine

An inexpensive investigational vaccine known as AKS-452 is stable for weeks at room temperature and can potentially be used for both prime and boost vaccination.

The vaccine developer, Akston Biosciences (Beverly, Mass.), has hooked up with LakePharma, a San Carlos, Calif.-based contract research, development and manufacturing outsourcing organization, to manufacture the vaccine. Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the vaccine will begin later this month at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands.

The vaccine candidate, pictured on the left, has shown promise in preclinical animal studies where it is initiated robust antibody production at microgram doses.

The AKS-452 can be produced using conventional antibody manufacturing techniques.

The developer describes the vaccine as “the most advanced” investigational COVID-19-specific Fc fusion protein vaccine.