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Top Ten most popular articles on Pharmafile.com this week

pharmafile | June 19, 2020 | News story | Medical Communications COVID-19, coronavirus, top 10 

The news this week centres around COVID-19 vaccines, as Moderna is to start testing 30,000 people with its vaccine beginning in July, while Sanofi has announced it will funnel €610 million into a new project to build a new vaccine manufacturing facility and research site in its home country of France. Beijing-based firm Sinovac has revealed new Phase 1/2 data on its own COVID-19 vaccine, known as CoronaVac.

In other news, China reported its highest amount of coronavirus cases in months as a new outbreak has been linked to a food market in Beijing, while AbbVie have announced positive results from its latest Phase 3 clinical trial where Venclexta plus azacitidine improved survival and remission rates in treatment-naïve acute myeloid leukaemia patients (AML).

1. Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine successfully generates immune response at Phase 1/2

As more than 130 efforts to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus continue to roll on, Beijing-based firm Sinovac has revealed new Phase 1/2 data on its own COVID-19 vaccine, known as CoronaVac.

2. Fear of a coronavirus second wave as China reports highest number of cases in months

China reported its highest amount of coronavirus cases in months as a new outbreak has been linked to a food market in Beijing.

3. Moderna to begin testing its COVID-19 vaccine in 30,000 people starting in July

Moderna is to start testing 30,000 people with its coronavirus vaccine beginning in July, after progressing through various trials.

4. Mylan and Biocon’s Semglee, biosimilar to Sanofi’s Lantus, approved by FDA for type 1 and 2 diabetes

Mylan and Biocon have scored FDA approval with their insulin glargine injection Semglee, a biosimilar to Sanofi’s Lantus, in both pre-filled pen and vial applications for the control of high blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes and adults and children with type 1 diabetes.

5. Roche’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra shows no benefit in COVID-19 pneumonia

Hope is waning around the efficacy of Roche’s Actemra (tocilizumab) following the release of results from an Italian study focusing on the use of the drug in patients with early-stage COVID-19 pneumonia. 

6. Sanofi drops €610m on new vaccine research and manufacturing sites in France

The coronavirus outbreak has changed the way that the world prioritises healthcare resources, and lay bare just how unprepared many countries were in the event of a pandemic. Now, Sanofi has announced it will funnel €610 million into a new project to build a new vaccine manufacturing facility and research site in its home country of France.

7. Repurposed corticosteroid dexamethasone shown to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients needing respiratory support

The University of Oxford has unveiled exciting new data in the treatment of the novel coronavirus, with a randomised clinical trial proving the efficacy of the corticosteroid dexamethasone in reducing mortality rates in COVID-19-infected patients requiring respiratory intervention

8. Tremfya’s skin clearance benefit lasts up to four years in plaque psoriasis patients, Janssen says

Janssen has revealed new data on its interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitor Tremfya (guselkumab) at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) virtual event this year, showing that use of the drug led to high levels of skin clearance up to four years after commencing treatment in plaque psoriasis patients.

9. AbbVie’s Venclexta plus azacitidine shows improved survival and remissions rates in leukaemia patients

AbbVie have announced positive results from its latest Phase 3 clinical trial where Venclexta plus azacitidine improved survival and remission rates in treatment-naïve acute myeloid leukaemia patients (AML).

10. NICE greenlights Roche’s Rozlytrek for ROS1+ advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Roche’s Rozlytrek (entrectinib) has secured recommendation for NHS use in England and Wales after NICE backed the drug in final draft guidance for the treatment of ROS1-positive, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adult patients who have not previously received ROS1 inhibitors for the condition.

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