COVID-19 Update

Pfizer-BioNTech announced plans to seek FDA approval this month of a smaller dose of its Comirnaty vaccine for children ages 5–11.

FDA advisors agreed unanimously on a more limited booster plan after rejecting Pfizer’s original request to authorize its third shot for everyone over age 16.

Health Canada approved the new drug submission for Spikevax—more commonly known as the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine—for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 12 years of age and older.

FDA revised the emergency use authorization for bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) to include emergency use as post-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) for COVID-19.

Moderna’s newest insights include an overall efficacy review, a study on breakthrough infections, and a study on long-term immunity.

The White House announced a nearly $3 billion program to ramp up production of vaccines and their components.

Alternative materials, as well as supply-chain planning, are essential to ensure a reliable supply for parenteral drug packaging.

SK and GSK announce the initiation of a Phase III clinical study of SK’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, GBP510, in combination with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant.

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced the initiation of the Phase III clinical trial to evaluate an investigational oral antiviral therapeutic for the prevention of COVID-19 infection.

Two of FDA’s vaccine regulators will be leaving in the fall of 2021, which has the potential to impact COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for both children under the age of 12 and booster shots.

After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine from a batch of Moderna vaccines that were suspected to have contaminants, two people in Japan died. Meanwhile, another one million doses have been temporarily suspended in Japan.

FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine raises hopes that this action will help overcome vaccine hesitancy.

HHS Public Health and a team of medical experts recommend that COVID-19 vaccine booster shots will soon be necessary.

FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which will be marketed as Comirnaty.

MHRA has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in 12–17-year-olds.

EMA has started evaluating RoActemra (tocilizumab), an anti-inflammatory medicine, as a potential treatment for hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19.

WHO’s solidarity plus trial will enroll hospitalized patients to test artesunate, imatinib, and infliximab in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The agency has amended the emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to allow certain immunocompromised people to receive an additional dose of the vaccine.

A research team at the Keck Graduate Institute will work to adapt its decade-long low-cost vaccine R&D for developing countries into a COVID-19 vaccine.

A collaboration between Aldevron and Ginkgo Bioworks has resulted in a manufacturing enhancement that can improve production of an enzyme used for mRNA therapeutics.

Moderna will build an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada to provide access to domestically manufactured vaccines against respiratory viruses.

EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has requested more data for its evaluation of reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome after vaccination.

The agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee recommended updating the product information for Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine to list immune thrombocytopenia as an adverse reaction.

A global safety database analysis has demonstrated no increased incidence of thrombosis with TTS after the second dose of Vaxzevria.

EMA’s CHMP has approved the increased manufacturing capacity and supply of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine active substance in its US manufacturing site.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has partnered with SaNOtize to manufacture, market, and distribute NONS to India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and more.

The European Commission has entered into a supply agreement with GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology for up to 220,000 doses of sotrovimab, an investigational mAb for treating COVID-19.

The expanded authorization from FDA enables the use of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ REGEN-COV antibody cocktail therapy for post-exposure prophylaxis in certain people exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

Advances in technology are accelerating the development and manufacture of subunit vaccines, an established class of vaccines.

Full approval of COVID-19 vaccines may increase public confidence, but better coordination in development and review is needed.