Infectious disease
It was a busy week for clinical trial news. Here’s a look.
If you’re one of the 17% of Americans that have been fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, you are probably feeling some level of relief. But the CDC warns not to throw your mask away just yet.
A current Phase III trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has confirmed the protection remains high for at least six months after the second dose. In a statement, Pfizer and BioNTech reported the vaccine was 91.3% effective against the disease.
A manufacturing mistake at Emergent Biosolutions ruined a 15 million-dose batch of Johnson & Johnson’s Vaxzevria in production.
Will We Need COVID-19 Vaccines Every Year? Although the jury is still out, a study out of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin suggests that the answer is yes for a few years, but may be unnecessary after a few years post-pandemic.
Several new reports, two by the U.S. CDC, describe just how severely COVID-19 has affected mortality figures in the U.S., and around the world, as well as ripple effects that extended to other forms of death.
The two companies announced data from a Phase III study which showed 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses in patients ages 12 -15 who received the BNT162b2 vaccine.
Citing Russia’s agricultural regulatory agency, Reuters reported the new vaccine called Carnivac-Cov will be used against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink.
A research collaboration among UCLA investigators and Merck KGaA, has pointed to the drug as showing promise for COVID-19. It is also being touted for its unusually broad effect in treating a range of cancers.
Between the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, there are two mRNA therapeutics on the market … the only two.
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