Nearly three years after dosing the first patient in a phase 3 trial, GSK has now reported positive results from the trial of its much-anticipated combination meningitis vaccine. The shot, a combination of GSK’s approved vaccines Bexsero and Menveo, targets meningitis and blood poisoning caused by the A, B, C, W, and Y groups of meningococcal bacteria. The serogroups A, B, C, W and Y cause nearly all invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases globally, GSK said in a statement. As it stands now in the U.S., protection from all five groups requires four injections from two separate vaccines. But GSK is looking to change that with its two-dose shot, which is administered six months apart. GSK said that the vaccine candidate met endpoints in the trial, which enrolled healthy people between 10 and 25 years of age. The vaccine matched up to Bexsero and Menveo, eliciting a “clinically meaningful immune response.” https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/gsks-combination-menabcwy-vaccine-holds-its-own-against-gsks-approved-meningitis-jabs
Brigham researchers studying how and why certain cell types proliferate in the gut found that xanthine, which is found in coffee, tea and chocolate, may play a role in Th17 differentiation. Insights may help investigators better understand gut health and the development of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. The gut is home to a cast of microbes that influence health and disease. Some types of microorganisms are thought to contribute to the development of inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the exact cascade of events that leads from microbes to immune cells to disease remains mysterious. A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital explores exactly what leads to the generation of Th17 cells—an important subtype of cells in the intestine—and uncovers some of the underappreciated molecular players and events that lead to cell differentiation in the gut. One of those players is the purine metabolite xanthine, which is found ...
In a recent study posted to the Research Square* preprint server, an international team of researchers review current literature to understand the association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, abnormal neuroimaging manifestations, and neurological symptoms among individuals under the age of 18. Background The clinical presentation of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varies widely across individuals, ranging from asymptomatic or mild to severe cases involving acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia, and multi-organ complications. Emerging evidence suggests that the thrombogenic reactions and cytokine storm that develop during acute COVID-19 contribute to psychiatric and neurological complications, with a high incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. While many studies have investigated the neurological complications associated with acute SARS-CoV-2 infections among adults, COVID-19 manifestations among children have largely been asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and not require hospitalization. However, emerging evidence indicates that systemic symptoms such as secondary inflammatory responses, which are collectively known ...
As viruses are exposed to environmental selection pressures, they mutate and evolve, generating variants that may possess enhanced virulence. Some of the primary concerns that public health officials have as these new variants continue to emerge include their viral transmissibility, reinfection rates, disease severity, and vaccine effectiveness. SARS-CoV-2. Image Credit: ImageFlow/Shutterstock.com How do RNA viruses mutate? The mutation rate of single-stranded ribonucleic acid (ssRNA) viruses is observed to be much higher than organisms that possess single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA), and many times more than those with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Not all mutations necessarily increase virulence and, in the majority of cases, may in fact be deleterious or inconsequential. Therefore, organisms must find an equilibrium between a high mutation rate that allows them to adapt to changing environmental conditions, and a low one that lessens the incidence of catastrophic mutations. Small DNA viruses may encode their own DNA repair, and ...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with complex pathogenesis and an extremely high morbidity rate, which seriously affects the quality of the life of patients and brings economic burden to society. Thus, effective treatments of RA has become a global concern of the pharmaceutical industry.
Janssen, the pharma division of Johnson & Johnson, has entered an agreement with Cambridge, UK-based Mestag Therapeutics to research and develop novel fibroblast targets for the treatment of inflammatory disease. The collaboration will utilise Mestag’s specialist fibroblast subpopulation biology platform, as well as the biotech’s ‘state-of-the-art’ data analytics in a bid to identify novel therapeutic targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Mestag will grant Janssen an option to an exclusive license to develop and commercialise therapeutics directed against up to two targets resulting from the collaboration. In exchange, Janssen will pay Mestag option fees, milestone payments and royalties – however, the detailed financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed by the companies. Also, as part of the collaboration, Janssen Research & Development’s global immunology therapeutic head David Lee will join Mestag’s scientific advisory committee. “Mestag’s vision is to leverage our unique fibroblast biology platform and state-of-the-art data analytics ...
The European Commission approved expanded use of GlaxoSmithKline’s intravenous and subcutaneous Benlysta (belimumab) in combination with background immunosuppressive therapies for adults with active lupus nephritis (LN). The drug is already on the market to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); this latest approval now provides physicians and patients in Europe with the first and only biologic treatment specifically designed to work in lupus and LN. “Active lupus nephritis, which causes inflammation in the kidneys, is one of the most serious consequences of systemic lupus erythematosus and occurs in more than 1 million patients worldwide,” noted Dr Hal Barron, GSK’s chief scientific officer and president R&D. “Benlysta is the first biologic approved to treat lupus and lupus nephritis, representing a significant new treatment option for patients and physicians across Europe dealing with this complex autoimmune disease.” The drug’s marketing submission was based on data from the BLISS-LN (Efficacy and Safety of Belimumab ...
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has revealed top-line data from a Phase II/III trial evaluating its PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo plus its investigational anti-LAG-3 antibody relatlimab in previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma. The RELATIVITY-047 trial is evaluating a fixed-dose combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and relatlimab compared to Opdivo alone in these patients. According to BMS, the trial met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival, with follow-up for the secondary endpoint of overall survival still ongoing. Although the company did not disclose the actual figures for the combination treatment, BMS said it would present the results at an upcoming meeting and discuss the findings with regulatory authorities. Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) is expressed on effector T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs). It regulates an inhibitory immune checkpoint pathway that limits the activity of T cells, which is believed to cause an impaired ability to attack tumour cells. In cancer, T cells exhibit progressive exhaustion ...
The NHS has announced that thousands of people will benefit from the extension of ‘COVID-friendly’ cancer treatments which can be taken at home. Since April, approximately 8,000 people have benefitted from treatment swaps, to enable cancer treatment to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 250,000 people beginning treatment for cancer since the start of the pandemic. The NHS will continue to fund effective and ‘less risky treatment[s]’ for patients during the pandemic, with access to these drugs now extended until summer and potentially continuing until the end of March 2022. Among the options available are targeted hormone therapies such as enzalutamide (Xtandi; Astellas/Pfizer) for prostate cancer and broadened use of lenalidomide (Revlimid; Bristol Myers Squibb) for myeloma. Some ovarian cancer patients will also be able to receive trametinib (Mekinist; Novartis) as a tablet alternative to chemotherapy, to help reduce the impact on their immune systems. “Cancer has been a priority throughout ...
Gilead Sciences has released a statement regarding the efficacy of its antiviral treatment Veklury (remdesivir), maintaining confidence in the its continued benefit against new COVID-19 variants. The new COVID-19 variants were discovered in the UK and South Africa, respectively. The UK variant, known as B117, was identified in the UK in early December, and was discovered to be much more transmissible than the original strain. The South African variant, known as B1351 or 501.V2, carries a number of mutations and is also thought to be more contagious. “We have completed genetic analysis of publicly available sequences for the UK and South African variants of SARS-CoV-2 and we believe remdesivir will continue to be effective against these variants,” said Gilead. “The mutations identified in these new variants have not significantly altered the part of the virus that remdesivir targets or have any association with known mutations conferring reduced susceptibility of coronaviruses ...
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