Animal studies indicate that a new COVID-19 vaccine developed at Rutgers may provide more durable protection against SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants than existing vaccines. “We need a better vaccine, one that provides years of robust protection with fewer booster shots against a variety of SARS-CoV-2 strains. Our data suggest this vaccine candidate might be able to do that,” said Stephen Anderson, associate professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in SAS, resident member of the Rutgers Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine and senior author of the paper in Vaccines. Existing COVID vaccines often provide some protection against serious disease and death. However, these vaccines typically elicit temporary bursts of protective antibodies that rapidly wane, even after booster doses, leaving most individuals vulnerable to potentially dangerous repeat infections. This new vaccine, dubbed MT-001, might provide longer-lasting protection against many COVID-19 varieties. “Thankfully, the current vaccines saved many lives, but they’re ...
After raking in billions with its Pfizer-partnered vaccine, BioNTech is turning to new ventures as its revenues plummet. BioNTech reported first-quarter revenues of €1.27 billion (1.4 billion), a far cry from 2022’s first-quarter haul of €6.37 billion ($7.03 billion). Despite the downturn, the quarter went “fully to our expectations,” CFO Jens Holstein said on a conference call. Sales-wise, the current quarter should be the weakest of 2023, Holstein said. The company’s COVID-19 vaccine revenue guidance for 2023 stands at €5 billion ($5.4 billion), which is “something we can live with,” the CFO added. Meanwhile, BioNTech believes the United States’ transition to a commercial COVID-19 vaccine market could provide new growth opportunities. But as its pandemic-related business struggles, BioNTech is busy advancing its pipeline as it looks for its next big growth driver. The company’s pipeline includes multiple oncology ventures, including an HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that it’s working on with ...
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has claimed more than 6.92 million lives and infected over 765 million individuals. Most COVID-19 vaccines target the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein receptor-binding domain (RBD) to prevent the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor. Background Preclinical studies associated with FINLAY-FR-2 (Soberana 02), a protein subunit vaccine conjugated with the tetanus toxoid carrier protein, have confirmed its effectiveness, with similar results obtained in Phases I, II, and III clinical trials. These trials have shown that FINLAY-FR-1A (Soberana Plus), an RBD dimer without conjugation, has increased neutralization capacity in COVID-19 convalescent individuals. Additionally, when this protein-based vaccine was introduced as the third dose to FINLAY-FR-2, it induced the production of anti-RBD immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. Several countries, including Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Belarus, Mexico, and Nicaragua, have approved FINLAY-FR-2 and FINLAY-FR-1A vaccines ...
By Max Matza BBC News The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – an illness that kills thousands of Americans each year. The vaccine still needs approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before it can be rolled out to the public. Officials say the vaccine, named Arexvy by the manufacturer GSK, is a major breakthrough that will save many lives. It could be available to people over 60 within months, officials say. “Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be life-threatening,” said Dr Peter Marks, who leads the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RSV is a respiratory illness that typically results in cold-like symptoms for adults, but can be dangerous for young children, the elderly, and those with ...
In a recent article published in the journal Nature, researchers used a classical concept in computational linguistics to design a new algorithm, LinearDesign, which optimized the structural stability and codon usage of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequences. For instance, using this algorithm, researchers could optimize mRNA sequences encoding the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein and use it in mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Background All vaccines based on the relatively new mRNA technology suffer from common limitations, such as mRNA instability and rapid degeneration, which, in turn, lead to poor protein expression and, subsequently, compromised immunogenicity and druggability of all mRNA vaccine products. It also critically hinders the storage, distribution, and efficacy of all mRNA vaccines, including COVID-19 and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccines. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a principled mRNA design algorithm that simultaneously optimizes stability and codon usage of encoding mRNA sequences to ...
The maker of the mpox vaccine is looking at ways to dramatically scale up its production capacity to prepare for a potential threat from smallpox. Bavarian Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin said the rapid spread of mpox last year was a wake-up call for the company, which is based in Denmark. “If it wasn’t mpox but it was smallpox, we are completely at the wrong scale,” Chaplin told CNBC in an interview. “We’re looking at ways we can dramatically change the way we manufacture to increase our scale,” he said. Mpox is in the same virus family as smallpox. Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to protect against both pathogens. Previously known as monkeypox, the World Health Organization changed the name to mpox last year to reduce stigma. Bavarian Nordic plans to simplify its production process so ...
Fingerpaint Group has a mind to draw biopharma companies a clearer picture of their market access options—and now it has MYND to help it do so. By acquiring MYND Group, Fingerpaint has continued its takeover spree and added to the capabilities of its recently rebranded market access group. Healthcare marketing agency Fingerpaint moved into market access early in 2020 with the acquisition of 1798, a California-based developer of market access and commercialization support programs. Late last year, Fingerpaint dropped the 1798 name. Rebranded as Fingerpaint Market Access, the unit, which had been involved in 30 launches in the previous three years, pitched itself as an end-to-end consultancy. Now, Fingerpaint has added to its market access capabilities. MYND is a Pennsylvania-based provider of a range of market access services, spanning from market research through to the training of sales teams. The services overlap with Fingerpaint’s existing capabilities. In a statement, Bill McEllen, global president ...
Moderna on Tuesday said it expects to see between $8 billion and $15 billion in sales from its Covid, RSV, flu and other respiratory vaccines in 2027. The biotech company said it sees a corresponding operating profit in the range of $4 billion to $9 billion. Those respiratory product estimates are supported by additional research investments of $6 billion to $8 billion “over the next few years,” Moderna added. The announcement came ahead of Moderna’s Vaccine Day on Tuesday. At the annual event, the company presented updates on its vaccine portfolio to investors and analysts eager to see how the company will navigate its post-pandemic boom. Moderna said earlier this year it expects $5 billion in mRNA Covid vaccine sales in 2023, a steep drop from the $18 billion the shot raked in last year. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company’s Covid vaccine remains its only commercially available product. ...
Pfizer on Thursday gained U.S. approval of its newest pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for use in children and infants, helping it compete with a rival shot from Merck & Co. that won a similar OK last year. Pfizer’s vaccine, called Prevnar 20, is designed to protect against infection by 20 strains of the bacteria — seven more than the company’s prior Prevnar 13 version. It has been approved in adults since 2021. Last July, Merck won approval in children of its Vaxneuvance vaccine, which protects against 15 strains. Both companies could soon face more competition as the market has sparked interest from other drugmakers. While vaccines for the bacterial infection are widely available, thousands of cases still lead to hospitalization and death in the U.S. each year. In response, Pfizer, Merck and others have worked to develop new shots that offer better protection, particularly against strains that weren’t ...
Moderna on Tuesday said it expects to see between $8 billion and $15 billion in sales from its Covid, RSV, flu and other respiratory vaccines in 2027. The biotech company said it sees a corresponding operating profit in the range of $4 billion to $9 billion. Those respiratory product estimates are supported by additional research investments of $6 billion to $8 billion “over the next few years,” Moderna added. The announcement came ahead of Moderna’s Vaccine Day on Tuesday. At the annual event, the company presented updates on its vaccine portfolio to investors and analysts eager to see how the company will navigate its post-pandemic boom. Moderna said earlier this year it expects $5 billion in mRNA Covid vaccine sales in 2023, a steep drop from the $18 billion the shot raked in last year. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company’s Covid vaccine remains its only commercially ...
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