South Africa upbeat as battle of the Covid mutations rages: Omicron deaths still zero despite new coronavirus variant spreading twice as fast as deadly Delta December 8, 2021 Scientists and policy makers in South Africa and across the region are cautiously optimistic that the rapidly spreading Omicron variant is not going to cause a bloodbath as, so far, no deaths have been linked to the new Covid mutation. Despite a record number of new infections – more than 40,000 people tested positive in [...]
Struggling Clinigen enters £1bn talks with Triton Investment Management December 3, 2021 Struggling UK pharmaceutical services company Clinigen is reportedly in talks with private equity Triton Investment Management for a takeover proposal worth £1bn. After the “non-binding indicative proposal” was announced, the company’s shares rocketed by almost 25 per cent on the London market, reaching 786.41p and then closing at 741.30p. “The board of Clinigen is in [...]
Healthcare regulator approves GlaxoSmithKline drug for severely ill Covid patients in UK December 2, 2021 A drug treatment which, the makers say, works against the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, has been approved by UK regulators. Xevudy (sotrovimab), made by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has been found to cut hospital admission and death by 79% in those at risk. The monoclonal antibody has been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare [...]
UK scientists discover what causes blood clot complications in AstraZeneca Covid vaccine December 2, 2021 UK scientists believe they have found the reason behind the extremely rare blood clot complications stemming from the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. According to an international team of researchers from Cardiff and the US, the reaction can be traced to the way the adenovirus used by the vaccine to shuttle the coronavirus’ genetic material into cells binds [...]
Omicron: Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna race to tweak Covid vaccines against new Coronavirus variant November 27, 2021 Work is underway to look at tweaking vaccines against the new concerning strain of coronavirus that has sparked travel bans. The variant, named Omicron and designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has reached Belgium after being discovered in South Africa. The WHO warned that preliminary evidence suggests the variant has [...]
Historic pharma precedent: Pfizer agrees to share its Covid-19 pill secrets with dozens of companies around the world November 16, 2021 Pfizer’s new Covid-19 pill could be made available to more than half of the world’s population after the pharmaceutical giant signed a deal with a UN-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental pill. In a statement, Pfizer said it will grant a licence for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent [...]
Hikma expects trading to hit top end of guidance amid global vaccine growth November 4, 2021 Hikma Pharmaceuticals today said it expects its full year performance to be closer to the top end of its guidance after its global vaccine products delivered strong growth. Delivering a trading update this morning, the London-based manufacturer projected full year generic pharmaceuticals revenue to be in the range of $810m to $830m. It also expects [...]
Pfizer enjoys 130 per cent revenue boost as Covid-19 vaccine roll out continues November 2, 2021 Pharmaceutical giant and vaccine maker Pfizer has enjoyed a more than 130 per cent revenue boost in its third quarter, as the global vaccine drive continues. Pfizer pulled in a revenue of $24.1bn in its third quarter, up from $10.27bn in the same period last year. While revenue for its vaccine branch Comirnaty came in [...]
Socialising securely this winter October 29, 2021 | Sponsored Life has begun to return to what feels like normal after so many months of the pandemic stopping us doing the things we love. But as we look forward to Christmas, it’s important we remember that the virus is still with us – and we still need to take sensible precautions to make sure we [...]
How’s vaccine inequality driving up global inflation? October 27, 2021 | City Talk As the more highly vaccinated countries roll out Covid booster shots, other parts of the world are still struggling to get their first jab. The vaccine divide is more apparent in the emerging markets (EM). World organisations have voiced their concerns over “vaccine nationalism” whereby vaccine-exporting countries prioritise supply first for their own populations before [...]