And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is fairly modest. We hope to hang with a couple of our short people, spend time with our Pharmalot ancestor, and promenade with the official mascots. We also hope to hold another listening party, where the rotation will likely feature this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? Summer is winding down, but there is still time to enjoy the great outdoors or plan a quick getaway to somewhere exotic or simply different. You could hit the proverbial pause button to curl up with a good book or stream a few moving pictures. Or perhaps this is a chance to plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
Pfizer and BioNTech disclosed that their combined mRNA vaccine candidate against influenza and Covid-19 showed a lower immune response against one type of influenza, influenza B, in a Phase 3 trial, a setback for the vaccine, STAT says. The combination vaccine met its goal in generating an immune response against influenza A and against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid. But the companies are considering adjustments aimed at improving immune responses against influenza B. A Phase 2 study of a second-generation formulation of the combination vaccine did result in an immune response against influenza B that was similar to an approved vaccine, as well as a more pronounced response to influenza A than the approved flu vaccine.
Bavarian Nordic, one of the few companies with an approved mpox vaccine, says it will be able to meet the immunization needs of African nations in the throes of an mpox outbreak, STAT tells us. “By the end of this year, we could manufacture another 2 million doses. And by the end of next year, it’s 10 million in total,” said Bavarian Nordic chief executive officer Paul Chaplin. The vaccine developer has about 300,000 doses ready for shipping immediately. The World Health Organization declared the fast-spreading outbreak a global public health emergency on Wednesday. The Africa Centres for Disease Control deemed the potentially deadly virus that has swept across at least six countries a continent-wide emergency a day earlier.
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