The World Health Organization warned governments against “vaccine nationalism” on Thursday and urged leaders to make plans now on how to share life-saving inoculations against coronavirus. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the threat of COVID-19 can only be snuffed out with global coordination — especially when a vaccine …
Read More »AstraZeneca in first COVID-19 vaccine deal with Chinese company
Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products will produce AstraZeneca Plc’s potential COVID-19 vaccine in mainland China, the British drugmaker said on Thursday, its first deal to supply one of the world’s most populous countries. The deal underscores Astra’s frontrunner position in a global race to deliver an effective vaccine, given that Chinese …
Read More »Fauci expects tens of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses at start of 2021
Drugmakers will likely have tens of millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine in the early part of next year, with production ramping up so that it hits a billion doses by the end of 2021, Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. government official on infectious diseases, said in a Reuters …
Read More »Debate begins for who’s first in line for COVID-19 vaccine
Who gets to be first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine? U.S. health authorities hope by late next month to have some draft guidance on how to ration initial doses, but it’s a vexing decision. “Not everybody’s going to like the answer,” Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes …
Read More »Russia plans mass vaccination against coronavirus from October, RIA reports
Russia is preparing to start a mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus in October, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday, RIA news agency reported. The minister, who did not give details about the vaccine to be used, said doctors and teachers would be the first to be vaccinated. …
Read More »WHO urges countries to support ‘COVAX’ vaccine scheme
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist said on Thursday that any country that supports the COVAX financing initiative has a better chance of getting a successful COVID-19 vaccine. Soumya Swaminathan told a news briefing in Geneva that the more countries that joined COVAX, a scheme designed to guarantee fast and …
Read More »‘So far, so good’ on leading COVID vaccine, says AstraZeneca
Britain’s AstraZeneca said on Thursday that good data was coming in so far on its vaccine for COVID-19, already in large-scale human trials and widely seen as the front-runner in the race for a shot against the novel coronavirus. The drugmaker, Britain’s most valuable listed company, also announced second-quarter results …
Read More »Moderna gets further $472 million U.S. award for coronavirus vaccine development
Moderna Inc said on Sunday it has received an additional $472 million from the U.S. government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support the development of its novel coronavirus vaccine. The U.S.-based drugmaker said the additional funding will support its late-stage clinical development including the expanded Phase 3 …
Read More »Pfizer in Pact with US for 100 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
The U.S. agreed to pay $1.95 billion for 100 million doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, the government’s latest step to lock up supplies to fight the pandemic. The U.S. will pay the companies when it receives the doses, following regulatory authorization or approval, according …
Read More »Russia Coronavirus Vaccine Is Ready and Safe, Ministry of Defense Says
Russia’s novel coronavirus vaccine trials were successfully completed on Monday and the results indicated long-term immunity could be established, Russia’s ministry of defense said. “The Russian Defence Ministry together with the Gamaleya [Gamalei] Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has successfully completed clinical trials of the vaccine against COVID-19 …
Read More »UK, US, Canada accuse Russia of hacking virus vaccine trials
Britain, the United States, and Canada accused Russian hackers on Thursday of trying to steal information from researchers seeking a coronavirus vaccine, warning scientists and pharmaceutical companies to be alert for suspicious activity. Intelligence agencies in the three nations alleged that the hacking group APT29, also known as Cozy Bear …
Read More »Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine ready to advance to final phase of testing
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday. The shots are poised to begin key final testing. “No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease …
Read More »Russia Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Distributed Next Month, and recent vaccine developments
As the race to find a novel coronavirus vaccine continues across the globe, Russia has reportedly become the first country to complete clinical trials of a vaccine candidate, with the potential to be distributed from around mid-August. A vaccine could be rolled out across the U.K. by the first half …
Read More »In UK: Vaccine doses for all ‘in first half of next year’ if trials succeed
Enough coronavirus vaccine doses for everyone in UK ‘in first half of next year’ if trials succeed, research chief says Enough vaccine doses are being made for everybody in the UK in “the first half of next year”, says the head of the team at Imperial College – if trials …
Read More »‘At war time speed’, China leads COVID-19 vaccine race
China is forging ahead in the race to develop a vaccine to help control the COVID-19 pandemic, with Sinovac Biotech’s (SVA.O) experimental vaccine set to become the country’s second and the world’s third to enter final stage testing later this month. While a laggard in the global vaccine industry, China, …
Read More »Novavax awarded $1.6 billion for coronavirus vaccine
The U.S. government has awarded Novavax Inc $1.6 billion to cover testing, commercialization, and manufacturing of a potential coronavirus vaccine in the United States, with the aim of delivering 100 million doses by January 2021. Novavax shares jumped 35% in premarket trade. The award is the biggest yet from “Operation …
Read More »COVID-19: BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine shows potential in early human trials
A COVID-19 vaccine developed by German biotech firm BioNTech and U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has shown potential and was found to be well tolerated in early-stage human trials, the companies said on Wednesday. The drug is one of 17 being tested on humans in a frantic global race to find …
Read More »Vaccine against COVID-19 not certain, maybe in a year: WHO
It is not certain that scientists will be able to create an effective vaccine against the coronavirus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, but it could take a year before one were to be invented, the head of the World Health Organisation said. Speaking by video-conference to deputies from the …
Read More »Moderna and Catalent Announce Collaboration for Fill-Finish Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna Inc said on Thursday it was partnering with contract drugmaker Catalent Inc to prepare an initial 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine for the United States, starting in the third quarter of this year. Catalent will fill and package doses, support production, and provide additional staffing for around-the-clock …
Read More »Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Probably people in the country where the first effective vaccine is developed. About a dozen different vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide, including in Britain, China, and the U.S. This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious …
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