Pfizer to buy blood cancer drugmaker for $2.3bn August 23, 2021 Pfizer has announced it will buy all the shares of Trillium Therapeutics, an oncology biotech, for $2.3bn (£1.7bn), as the pharmaceutical invests in blood cancer therapies. The US drugmaker, which acquired a $25m stake in the Canadian oncology biotech last year, has agreed to purchase the remaining shares at $18.50 per share, representing a 203.8 [...]
Critically-ill Covid patients far less likely to die when lying on stomach while receiving oxygen August 22, 2021 Critically-ill Covid-19 patients are far less likely to pass away or to require invasive ventilation if they are lying on their stomachs while receiving oxygen, according to a new global study. The impact of the technique, known as awake prone positioning, was assessed in hospitals in six countries and involved more than 1,000 coronavirus patients [...]
National Covid-19 antibody surveillance programme launched by government August 22, 2021 A nation-wide antibody surveillance programme for the public has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency to collect data to build the government’s understanding of immunity against Covid-19. The government today announced that free home antibody tests kits will be offered to adults in the UK who test positive for the virus from Tuesday. [...]
Astrazeneca’s non-vaccine therapy cuts chance of getting symptomatic Covid by 77 per cent, trial finds August 20, 2021 FTSE-listed Astrazeneca this morning said its Covid-19 antibody therapy met the main goal of preventing coronavirus symptoms in a late-stage study. It means the Anglo-Swedish pharma is on track to potentially offer an alternative to vaccines for people with weakened immune systems. Astrazeneca said it will now submit data to try and get emergency authorisation [...]
Covid research suggests Coronavirus antibody levels fall rapidly in older people August 19, 2021 While most adults in the UK are likely to have Covid-19 antibodies, levels are dropping rapidly among older age groups, new figures suggest. The presence of coronavirus antibodies suggests someone has had the infection in the past or has been vaccinated. It takes between two and three weeks after infection or vaccination for the body [...]
Third vaccine looming as JVCI fear two doses are not enough August 19, 2021 The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI) are discussing a potential booster campaign amidst concerns that two doses are not effective enough. In a JVCI meeting this morning, a government scientific adviser claimed there may be people who “really need” a third dose of the Coronavirus vaccine. JVCI member Professor Adam Finn spoke of [...]
Annual Covid-19 boosters may become a reality, says Moderna co-founder August 18, 2021 With governments around the world debating whether to authorise Covid-19 vaccine booster doses, Moderna co-founder Noubar Afeyan envisions a time when the shot could become routine. “Public health officials are going to have to decide if everybody should get a booster shot,” he said in an interview on Bloomberg TV today. “My guess is that [...]
Marlboro maker Philip Morris offers £1bn for British inhaler company August 9, 2021 Philip Morris has upped its bid for respiratory drugmaker Vectura to over £1bn as the takeover deal, which is being “closely monitored” by the government, has raised public interest questions. Philip Morris International (PMI) raised its offer to £1.65 per share, valuing Vectura at £1.02bn, after private equity firm Carlyle made an offer of £958m [...]
CMA accuses pharma firms Pfizer and Flynn of charging NHS illegal prices for anti-epilepsy drug August 5, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has accused pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and Flynn of breaking competition law and overcharging the NHS for crucial anti-epilepsy drugs, in a new re-investigation following a years-long battle with the companies. Pfizer and Flynn “abused their dominant positions” and charged the NHS “unfairly high prices” for life-saving phenytoin sodium capsules, for which they [...]
Astrazeneca mulls offloading Covid vaccines unit even as total revenues soar above $15bn July 29, 2021 UK-listed Covid vaccine maker Astrazeneca today admitted it’s considering offloading its vaccines unit even as it cheered a 23 per cent revenue rise to $15.5bn for the first half of 2021 – boosted in part by orders for the preventative measure. A senior executive confirmed to Reuters that it is reviewing the future of the [...]