Alibaba-backed LinkDoc mulls private $200m fundraiser after frozen US IPO September 9, 2021 Chinese medical data firm LinkDoc Technology is reportedly looking to raise between $200m and $300m from a private fundraiser, weeks after it froze plans for a US float. LinkDoc, which is backed by Alibaba Health Information Technology, is also mulling a fresh initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong instead of across the pond, Bloomberg [...]
Compulsory jabs? Consultation on vaccinations for health staff begins September 9, 2021 The government has launched a consultation today to make a decision on whether there should be compulsory jabs for frontline workers in health and care settings. The six-week long consultation could result in staff receiving mandatory Covid-19 and flu vaccines to protect their patients and people receiving their care, unless they are medically exempt. The [...]
Spire Healthcare returns to operating profit amid climbing Covid costs September 9, 2021 Independent hospital group Spire Healthcare has returned to an operating profit in the past six months, after being hit by climbing Covid-19 costs. The group swung from a £189.8m operating loss last year, managing to secure £46.2m in the six months to 30 June, according to its interim results this morning. Revenue also jumped 38.9 [...]
French drugmaker Sanofi to spend $1.9bn to buy US biopharma firm Kadmon September 8, 2021 French healthcare company Sanofi has announced its plans to acquire Kadmon, a US biopharmaceutical firm, for $1.9bn, according to reports. The news comes just one month after Sanofi announced its intention to buy another US biotech, Translate Bio, in a $3.2bn deal. The French drugmaker said it offered $9.50 per share in cash for Kadmon [...]
EU vs Astrazeneca: Vaccine legal battle over as UK pharma pledges jab deliveries September 3, 2021 The legal stand-off between the European Union (EU) and FTSE-listed Covid-19 vaccine maker Astrazeneca appears to be over. Astrazeneca and the European Commission have reached a settlement on the delivery of 200m vaccine doses still to be delivered by the drug com[any, ending a row about shortages that had heightened reputational damage on Astra and weighed [...]
UK to share 4m vaccines with Australia September 3, 2021 The UK and Australia have agreed to a partnership which will see some 4m vaccines shared with each other, as Britain’s double-jabbed population nears 80 per cent. Britain will be the first to ship over the large batch of Pzifer/BioNTech jabs, while Australia will return the same number before the end of the year. It [...]
Coronavirus: New Covid strain Mu lands in UK with 55 cases in England so far September 1, 2021 A new Covid mutation called Mu has been detected in the UK, as 55 cases have been identified in England so far. The new strain, which first popped up in South America, has been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to various reports this morning. Mu, or B.1.621, was [...]
Metallic particles: Japan finds another contaminated Moderna vaccine September 1, 2021 Japan reported a fresh contamination case involving Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, the fourth such incident in less than a week, threatening to slow the country’s sputtering inoculation campaign. Watch the full report.
Major setback for Johnson & Johnson as potential HIV vaccine fails to deliver August 31, 2021 A potential HIV vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson did not provide protection against the virus in a mid-stage study, the pharmaceutical company has said. J&J plans to end the study, which involved young women in sub-Saharan Africa. But researchers will continue a separate, late-stage trial involving a different composition of the vaccine in [...]
New Zealand reports first Covid vaccine death: Woman dies after Pfizer jab August 30, 2021 A health board that monitors vaccine safety said today that a woman had died from myocarditis after being given the Pfizer jab. The case marks New Zealand’s first reported coronavirus vaccine death. The board said the woman probably developed the condition because of the vaccine, although she had other medical issues which may have contributed. [...]