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Top Ten most popular articles on Pharmafile.com this week

pharmafile | March 20, 2020 | News story | Business Services, Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing Chinese Coronavirus, Wuhan Coronavirus, china coronavirus, coronavirus 

The COVID-19 coronavirus continues to dominate the news: A flu drug has appeared to be effective in treating COVID-19 while new research shows that the COVID-19 coronavirus is stable for hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces. President Trump has also been criticised after it was confirmed he had attempted to solicit the pharmaceutical industry to develop a coronavirus vaccine exclusively for US patients.

In non-coronavirus related news, NHS England is set to fund the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the prevention of HIV for local authorities across the country from April while Merck KGaA and Pfizer have announced their decision to terminate their ongoing Phase 3 trial of the checkpoint inhibitor Bavencio.

10. Keytruda rejected for NHS use for bladder cancer, will be removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund

MSD’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has been knocked back by NICE for use on the NHS as a treatment for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in patients who have previously undergone platinum-containing chemotherapy.

9. 100 coronavirus cases linked to Biogen-hosted event in Boston, State of Massachusetts confirms

It is now known that around 100 of the known cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus can be traced to an event held in Boston, Massachusetts by major biotechnology firm Biogen.

8. Human dosing begins for first US coronavirus vaccine

The race to develop a vaccine against the ongoing outbreak of novel coronavirus has stepped up with the news that biotech firm Moderna has dosed its first patient in clinical trials of its own mRNA vaccine.

7. Bavencio Phase 3 head and neck cancer trial terminated

Merck KGaA, its biopharma division EMD Serono, and Pfizer have announced their decision to terminate their ongoing Phase 3 trial of the checkpoint inhibitor Bavencio (avelumab) after it became apparent following an independent Data Monitoring Committee interim analysis that the drug was unlikely to achieve its primary endpoint.

6. FDA greenlights Celltrion HIV drug manufacturing facility in South Korea

South Korean biopharma firm Celltrion has revealed that one of its key manufacturing facilities has been given the all-clear by the FDA following an on-site inspection in January.

5. NHS England to supply HIV prevention drug PrEP with £16m government investment

NHS England is set to fund the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the prevention of HIV for local authorities across the country from April, the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care has revealed.

4. NICE and EMA to review if Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatories worsen coronavirus

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the European Medicines Regulatory have both stated that there is currently no evidence anti-inflammatory over the counter drugs worsen symptoms of COVID-19, but will investigate the matter.

3. Trump tried to solicit US-exclusivity for coronavirus vaccine, report claims

President Trump has attracted criticism from all sides over his response to the novel coronavirus outbreak; after repeatedly downplaying the potential impact of the virus before finally declaring a state of national emergency on 13 March, the US President came under fire just days later after it was confirmed he had attempted to solicit the pharmaceutical industry to develop a coronavirus vaccine exclusively for US patients.

2. COVID-19 can survive in aerosol form and on hard surfaces from hours to days, new study shows

New research shows that the COVID-19 coronavirus is stable for hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces.

1. Fujifilm flu drug effective in treating coronavirus in Chinese clinical trials

A flu drug has appeared to be effective in treating COVID-19, according to recent clinical trials in China.

 

 

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