Infectious disease
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration green-lit Roche’s new Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test that will help determine whether or not people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and developed antibodies to the disease.
While the biopharmaceutical industry is working frantically to develop the tests, vaccines and therapeutics to combat COVID-19, the people doing the work are pushing their fears to one side. But, when asked, they admit to concerns. Not suprisingly, they mirror the fears shared by much of the world.
Mallinckrodt and Massachusetts General Hospital teamed up to evaluate the potential benefits of inhaled nitric oxide as a treatment for pulmonary complications in patients infected with COVID-19.
The company is working to build a global consortium of pharma and chemical manufacturers in order to expand global capacity and production. They are also working with regulators on emergency use authorizations for the drug.
Please check out the biopharma industry coronavirus (COVID-19) stories that are trending for May 1, 2020.
As the situation progresses, they hope to establish more production suites across Lonza’s facilities globally, with a goal of manufacturing up to 1 billion doses of mRNA-1273 per year at the currently expected dose of 50 µg.
A vaccine for COVID-19 is unlikely to be ready in 2020, according to biopharma professionals responding to the BioSpace Workplace Survey: The Impact of COVID-19 – Spring 2020. Only 25% of respondents thought a vaccine might be possible this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the pace of drug development and regulatory approval dramatically, accelerating activities in ways that shorten the time needed to deliver safe, effective therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics to patients.
BioSpace spoke to Aurika Savickaite, RN, MSN, to learn more about the ventilator helmet initiative, NIV helmets, and how they can be used during this coronavirus pandemic.
Please check out the biopharma industry coronavirus (COVID-19) stories that are trending for April 30, 2020.
PRESS RELEASES