COVID-19 vaccine Archives - Page 36 of 38

Russia reports 91.6% efficacy for its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

Sputnik V in vials. Image from Mos.ru via Wikipedia.

The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine could be more efficacious than those from AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) or Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) based on interim trial results.

The two-dose Sputnik vaccine was 91.6% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% effective at preventing severe and moderate disease in a study involving 19,866 participants.

The data were published in The Lancet. No data, however, was available on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the vaccine’s efficacy.

By comparison, the single-dose JNJ vaccine was 57% to 72% effective at preventing moderate to severe disease, depending on the geography. The vaccine was least effective in South Africa, where 95% of infections were the result of a more-infectious variant circulating there.

AstraZeneca’s (LON:AZN) two-dose vaccine was between 62% and 90% effective, depen…

EU chief reports ‘step forward’ in AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine supply dispute

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) will provide the EU an extra 9 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to help resolve a supply dispute that also involves the U.K., according to media reports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday described the agreement as a “step forward,” according to NPR. The extra doses bring the total amount of AstraZeneca vaccine slated for the EU in Q1 to 40 million — an improvement but still only half the original 80 million promised.

AstraZeneca found itself cutting coronavirus vaccine supplies for the EU after experiencing production problems at plans in Belgium and the Netherlands. The EU had demanded that AstraZeneca meet its obligations by shipping U.K.-made vaccine, but the British company had already promised the doses to its home country.

The BBC reports the dispute was heated enough that the European Commission even suggested setting up checks on the border between the Irish Republic and Northern …

4 ways COVID-19 variants could change the battle against the pandemic

SARS-CoV-2 image from Wikipedia

Highly-transmissible COVID-19 variants have likely been circulating undetected for months in places like the U.K., South Africa and Brazil. They then seemed to burst onto the scene, fueling large outbreaks that dwarfed preceding ones.

While the variants aren’t well understood, they suggest that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating in ways that confer an evolutionary advantage. They thus threaten to become dominant throughout much of the world in coming months unless protocols such as growing vaccination, mask-wearing and social distancing can slow their spread.

Get the full story from our sister publication, Drug Discovery & Development.

4 ways COVID-19 variants could impact the battle against the pandemic

SARS-CoV-2 electron microscope image from Wikipedia

Highly-transmissible COVID-19 variants have likely been circulating undetected for months in places like the U.K., South Africa and Brazil. They then seemed to burst onto the scene, fueling large outbreaks that dwarfed preceding ones.

While the variants aren’t well understood, they suggest that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating in ways that confer an evolutionary advantage. They thus threaten to become dominant throughout much of the world in coming months unless protocols such as growing vaccination, mask-wearing and social distancing can slow their spread.

The new variants are also likely to change the fight against COVID-19 in crucial ways. Here are four facts to consider:

1. New variants could delay herd immunity and make vaccinating children more important

After FDA authorized mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna in late 2020, it seemed t…

BREAKING: J&J’s Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study results raise more alarms about new variants

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial that show decreased effectiveness against new virus variants.

The vaccine candidate from Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, which was 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 28 days after vaccination, proved less effective in South Africa, where a new variant of the virus has appeared, offering just 57% protection from moderate-to-severe infection there (where 95% of cases were due to infection from the variant). The level of protection in the U.S. was 72% and it was 66% in Latin America.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.

BREAKING: J&J’s Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study results raise more alarms about new variants

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial that show decreased effectiveness against new virus variants.

The vaccine candidate from Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, which was 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 28 days after vaccination, proved less effective in South Africa, where a new variant of the virus has appeared, offering just 57% protection from moderate-to-severe infection there (where 95% of cases were due to infection from the variant). The level of protection in the U.S. was 72% and it was 66% in Latin America.

“These results are a testament to the extraordinary efforts of everyone involved in our COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical program, and we are extremely grateful to the clinical trial staff and trial participants for their invaluable contributions,” Janssen R&D global head Dr. Mathai Mamment said in a news release. “Changing the trajector…

Study suggests Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is effective against emerging variants

A Pfizer-BioNTech preprint published today suggests that their BNT162b2 vaccine will be effective against SARS-CoV2 variants from the U.K. and South Africa, leading to “small differences in viral neutralization” compared with earlier variants.

The U.K variant has been identified in 26 states in the U.S., while the South Africa variant has been found circulating in South Carolina.

The Pfizer and University of Texas Medical Branch scientists conducting the research concluded that modifying the BNT162b2 was unnecessary.

The researchers, however, acknowledged that the study involving engineered viruses did “not include the full set of spike mutations found in the UK or SA variants” and that clinical data are required to better understand the impact of viral mutations on the vaccine.

The Pfizer findings are broadly similar to those from Moderna, whose experiments indicated that its mRNA-1273 vaccine is effective against emerging variants from the U.K.…

Johnson & Johnson gearing up for COVID-19 vaccine data announcement

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is poised to announce new data related to its Ad26 COVID-19 vaccine early next week.

In an earnings call yesterday, management hinted that they expect results from the vaccine to be positive but stopped short at revealing details.

“We think it’s very important to follow the data — to follow the science,” said JNJ CEO Alex Gorsky after declining to answer a question related to COVID-19 variants and vaccine efficacy until the official data announcement.

Get the full story from our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.

Sanofi to provide COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing for rival Pfizer

Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) announced today that it entered into an agreement to support the manufacturing and supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine is one of two to receive FDA emergency use authorization in the U.S. and it also has clearance in Europe, having received both nods in December 2020.

The deal between Sanofi provides BioNTech access to its infrastructure and expertise to produce over 125 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Europe. Initial supplies will originate from Sanofi’s production facilities in Frankfurt starting in the summer of 2021, according to a news release.

Get the full story at our sister site, Pharmaceutical Processing World.

Sanofi to provide COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing for rival Pfizer

Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) announced today that it entered into an agreement to support the manufacturing and supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine is one of two to receive FDA emergency use authorization in the U.S. and it also has clearance in Europe, having received both nods in December 2020.

The deal between Sanofi provides BioNTech access to its infrastructure and expertise to produce over 125 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Europe. Initial supplies will originate from Sanofi’s production facilities in Frankfurt starting in the summer of 2021, according to a news release.

“We are very conscious that the earlier vaccine doses are available, the more lives can potentially be saved. Today’s announcement is a pivotal step towards our industry’s collective goal of putting all the effort in to curb this pandemic,” Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said in the release. “Although vaccination campaigns have started a…

Johnson & Johnson gearing up for COVID-19 vaccine data announcement

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is poised to announce new data related to its Ad26 COVID-19 vaccine early next week.

In an earnings call yesterday, management hinted that they expect results from the vaccine to be positive but stopped short at revealing details.

“We think it’s very important to follow the data — to follow the science,” said JNJ CEO Alex Gorsky after declining to answer a question related to COVID-19 variants and vaccine efficacy until the official data announcement.

[Related: Johnson & Johnson pharma sales drive Street-beating Q4 results]

If the company’s adenovirus-based vaccine performs in the same league as those from Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), Ad26 could play a vital role in stemming the COVID-19 crisis. Unlike competitors’ vaccines, Ad26 could be offered in a single dose, potentially simplifying mass-vaccination efforts.

Former Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui suggested that Ad26 vaccine…

Authorities investigating death of California recipient of COVID-19 vaccine

[Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash]

Last week, Norwegian officials raised eyebrows when they announced that they were investigating the deaths of 23 elderly patients who had recently received COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Now, California authorities are investigating the death of a Placer County-based patient who received a COVID-19 vaccine dose on Jan. 21. The patient died hours afterward.

Placer County officials stressed they had not linked the death to the vaccine.

They are planning on conducting an autopsy.

Officials in Florida are also investigating the death of a 56-year-old physician who died 16 days after receiving the BNT162b2 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX).

Pfizer had stressed that it doesn’t “believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine” in the Florida physician’s death.

Separately, the World Health Organi…