Pharmafile.com’s top 10 news stories of the week
pharmafile | March 26, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications |Â Â AstraZeneca vaccine, COVID-19, covid 19 news, covid-19 news, news, news roundup, starpharmaÂ
In the last week, a number of new developments have made the news; for COVID-19, Starpharma will begin to sell their COVID-fighting nose spray in the UK, and the AstraZeneca vaccine was found to be safe and effective, although the efficacy was adjusted as the week wore on. Elsewhere, Novo Nordisk’s obesity treatment, and Roche’s lung caner therapy, were both found to be successful in clinical trials.
1. Starpharma to sell COVID-fighting nose spray in UK – Published 25/03/21
Australian biotech company, Starpharma, has announced a deal with LloydsPharmacy to sell its COVID-fighting antiviral nasal spray, Viraleze, in the UK.
2. AstraZeneca and J&J COVID-19 vaccines face viral vector shortage – Published 25/03/21
Both AstraZeneca and J&J face major manufacturing deficiencies for their recombinant vector COVID-19 vaccines, forcing competition over limited production capacity for gene and gene-modified cell therapies, according to GlobalData.
3. Novo Nordisk obesity treatment successful in clinical trials – Published 24/03/21
New results from Novo Nordisk’s Phase III study on obesity saw clinically relevant weight loss, without weight regain, in people treated with a 2.4mg dose of semaglutide versus a placebo in combination with lifestyle intervention.
4. AstraZeneca vaccine found to be 3% less effective after further trial analysis – Published 25/03/21
AstraZeneca have revised their findings from the US study AZD1222 of their COVID-19 vaccine, announcing a 76% efficacy against symptoms of the virus, as opposed to the 79% efficacy reported on Monday.
5. RDIF & Stelis Biopharma to supply 200 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine – Published 19/03/21
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Stelis Biopharma have today announced a partnership which aims to produce and supply a minimum of 200 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine globally.
6. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine achieves safety and efficacy results in US – Published 22/03/21
Results from the US trial of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222) show it is 79% effective at stopping symptomatic COVID-19 disease and 100% effective at preventing people from falling seriously ill, it was announced today.
7. Pfizer and Myovant’s menstrual blood loss treatment reports 78% effectiveness – Published 24/03/21
Pfizer and Myovant Science’s relugolix treatment to reduce menstrual blood loss in women with uterine fibroids has shown promising results in its Phase III trial.
8. Roche’s drug cocktail reduces hospitalisation due to COVID-19 in Phase III trial – Published 24/03/21
Roche’s antibody drug combination of casirivimab and imdevimab has shown to reduce hospitalisation or death by 70% in non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in a Phase III trial.
9. AstraZeneca & MSD ovarian cancer drug combination approved by NICE – Published 19/03/21
A new precision drug combination, olaparib with bevacizumab, will now be available on the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) for ovarian cancer treatment following its approval by NICE, AstraZeneca and MSD announced today.
10. Roche lung cancer treatment reports promising results in Phase III – Published 22/03/21
Roche’s IMpower010 study, evaluating Tecentriq (atezolizumab) compared with best supportive care, has shown significant improvement in disease-free survival (DFS) in the treatment of early stage, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), it was announced today.
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