Coronavirus Update: As Pfizer/BioNTech Begin Omicron Vaccine Tests, Regulators Want To Explore Multivalent Route

Plus: One Step Forward For Veklury, Two Steps Back For REGEN-COV

Pfizer explores options for new vaccine update, Veklury expands to non-hospitalized patients but Regeneron and Lilly therapies stopped in face of Omicron efficacy drop-off.  

Wuhan 2022
Wuhan, China: two years on from the initial outbreak, China is preparing for New Year's celebrations and the Winter Olympics, but is still dealing with SARS-CoV2. • Source: Getty Images

Pfizer and BioNTech have launched the first clinical trial of an Omicron version of their COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty that will study its use both as a booster and in previously unvaccinated people.

Omicron is now the predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in many parts of the world, and despite its generally less severe symptoms,...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from COVID-19

Sanofi Bid For Second COPD Approval Hurt By Mixed Itepekimab Data

 
• By 

One Phase III trial hits but a second study misses by a mile.

New Vaccine Framework Avoided Worst-Case Scenario, Analysts Say

 
• By 

The new US FDA vaccine guidelines introduced on 20 May might cause financial woes for Moderna, but overall vaccine makers should not be as impacted as feared.

Arcturus and CSL Take on Pfizer With Longer-Lasting COVID Vaccine

 
• By 

Kostaive is the first self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to receive approval from the European Commission and could provide serious competition to Pfizer/BioNTech's Comirnaty and Moderna's Spikevax.

Under-Pressure Moderna Banks $590m To Speed Up Bird Flu Vaccine

 
• By 

A week after a downbeat forecast at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the US mRNA specialist has pocketed another sizeable sum from the US Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate development of an H5N1 mRNA pandemic influenza vaccine.

More from Scrip

Titans Of Pharma: Lilly’s Ricks Tops Big Pharma Pay Chart

 

The big pharma CEO with the highest-valued compensation in 2024 was David Ricks of Eli Lilly, while Pfizer and J&J executives slipped into third and fourth place behind AbbVie's now retired chief Richard Gonzalez. European firms brought up the rear.

In Brief: Gilead HIV Trials On Hold Over Safety Signal

 

The FDA has paused Gilead’s HIV trials of GS-1720 and GS-4182 over safety concerns. The company’s upcoming PrEP PDUFA looks to be unaffected.