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An assessment of post-vaccination immune response to SARS-CoV-2 Delta in elderly and health care workers

A new cohort study comparing immune responses among vaccinated elderly persons and healthcare workers has been conducted.

2 Sep 2021

The tale of mRNA vaccines: Turning calamity into opportunity

In a review paper published in the journal Nature Reviews, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania have described the underlying technologies for mRNA vaccines and their future prospects with improved delivery systems and applications in diseases beyond the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

31 Aug 2021

FDA grants seven years of marketing exclusivity for Octapharma’s Octagam 10%

Octapharma USA today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) has awarded seven years of marketing exclusivity for Octagam® 10% [Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)], the first and only intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) to be indicated for the treatment of adult dermatomyositis (DM).

31 Aug 2021

New evidence provides strong support for the halt on prescribing hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

In 2021, in the United States alone, there have been more than 560,000 prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine for the prevention, post-exposure and treatment of COVID-19.

31 Aug 2021

Will mRNA vaccine boosters be required for SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A new study shows that the highly effective mRNA Moderna vaccine designed against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain may lose some efficacy as new variants arise.

30 Aug 2021

Sustained and effective response to Janssen COVID-19 vaccine Is enhanced by delayed booster

A new study adds to the data on the optimum interval between the first and second doses of the adenovirus vectored COVID-19 vaccine.

30 Aug 2021

Next-gen COVID vaccine to make persistent neutralizing antibodies

Presently, there is a need to develop improved versions of COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and can confer long-term protection. Considering the need of the hour, scientists from the University of Sydney in Australia have generated a new COVID-19 vaccine CoVac-II and evaluated its effect against COVID-19 strains. The findings from this study are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

30 Aug 2021

Could soluble CD24 offer some hope against severe COVID-19?

A recent randomized phase III trial conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, US, evaluated the impact of CD24Fc in severe COVID-19 patients and showed promising clinical efficacy. This study is available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server.

26 Aug 2021

Analysis of antibody titer decay following vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study focused on the decrease in antibody titers following two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine or SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in Israel.

25 Aug 2021

Glycyrrhizic acid as a drug candidate for COVID-19

A new study presents the benefits of licorice, an age-old herbal remedy, to treat COVID-19 at all stages.

24 Aug 2021

Study shows difference in antibody levels in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and type of vaccination

In a recent study, researchers aimed to monitor the levels of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG levels in populations that were subjected to routine tests.

24 Aug 2021

First-in-kind kidney cancer drug developed at UTSW receives FDA approval

A first-in-kind kidney cancer drug developed from laboratory and translational studies conducted at UT Southwestern Medical Center received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, providing a new treatment for patients with familial kidney cancer.

24 Aug 2021

FDA-approved antiplatelet drug shows potential as new, low-cost heart failure therapy

Sarpogrelate, an antiplatelet medication, has potential as a new heart failure therapy and, according to researchers, could potentially decrease health care costs associated with cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary animal research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2021.

23 Aug 2021

FDA approves COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that uses fundamental Penn technology

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the first full approval to a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, which uses modified mRNA technology invented and developed by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, whose years of research in mRNA science laid a critical piece of the foundation for the largest global vaccination campaign in history.

23 Aug 2021

Researchers use residues in wastewater to study illicit drug consumption

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-home orders and other restrictions drastically affected how people lived and worked, resulting in social isolation and economic instability. Now, researchers show that some people turned to a variety of drugs for relief. Using wastewater analysis, the team identified a spike in consumption of easily abused prescription opioids and anti-anxiety sedatives, while some illicit drug use plummeted, between March and June 2020.

23 Aug 2021

Over-the-counter acid reflux drug appears to improve the odds of survival for COVID-19 patients

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors in Wuhan noticed something surprising. Many of the elderly patients who survived the virus were poor: not exactly the demographic you would expect to fare well in a health crisis.

20 Aug 2021

Scientists identify a potent neutralizing nanobody against SARS-CoV-1

In a recently published article in the journal Virologica Sinica, scientists have described the development and validation of a potent nanobody that targets the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The nanobody efficiently and specifically blocks the interaction between RBD and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and neutralizes the virus.

19 Aug 2021

Data reinforces SAB-185’s potential to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants

A study, available on the pre-print server bioRxiv*, evaluated the neutralizing capacity of a fully human polyclonal antibody (SAB-185) against the Delta, Kappa, and Lambda variants using a lentiviral-based pseudovirus assay.

17 Aug 2021

Pfizer CEO to public: Just trust us on the covid booster

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla was confident in June about the ability of his company's vaccine to protect against the highly contagious delta variant, as it marched across the globe and filled U.S. hospitals with patients.

13 Aug 2021

Advances in plant-made vaccines revive interest in plant-produced pharmaceuticals and edible drugs

Recent progress in developing and testing plant-made vaccines has revived interest in plant-produced pharmaceuticals, including edible drugs, for human use. Advances in technology and manufacturing could boost the uptake of therapeutics made in this way, say Hugues Fausther-Bovendo and Gary Kobinger in this Perspective.

13 Aug 2021