After announcing that its vaccine was 100% efficacious in a Phase 3 trial involving adolescents aged 12 to 15, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) are seeking authorization from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to distribute the vaccine to that age group. BioNTech’s CEO, Uğur Şahin, estimated that the vaccine would be available to early adolescents in 27 European countries […]
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Side effects relatively rare for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, study says
A recent study found that only 13.5% of recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) had systemic side effects after the first dose. That figure climbed to 22.0% after the second dose. Conversely, just over one-third (33.7%) of recipients of the first dose of vaccine from AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) had systemic side effects, according to the […]
Hear Episode 1 of the new MedtronicTalks Podcast
A year ago, the emerging pandemic brought Medtronic’s respiratory business front-and-center as demands for ventilators shot up to save the lives of thousands of people hit with COVID-19. In this interview, the first of the MedtronicTalks Podcast Series, Medtronic’s Ariel Mactavish and Dr. John de Csepel detail how the company answered the call in many […]
Scientists create first human-monkey embryo
A group of scientists from the U.S. and China injected human stem cells into 132 macaque embryos, which then developed for up to 20 days. While the research holds promise for organ transplants, studying disease and testing new drugs, it also prompts controversy. Get the full story from our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.
mRNA vaccine led to shingles in a handful of immunocompromised patients
A group of researchers in Israel has concluded that an mRNA-based vaccine could activate herpes zoster (shingles) in a limited number of people with rheumatic diseases. The viral infection, which can cause a painful rash, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is also responsible for chickenpox. In a study focusing on individuals with autoimmune […]
9 things to know as AstraZeneca and J&J COVID-19 vaccines face safety scrutiny
With COVID-19 cases surging in many parts of the world, the need is high for multiple vaccines to slow the virus. But the fate of adenovirus-vectored vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson has become murky after a limited number of people receiving those vaccines have developed severe blood clot disorders. Officials in both the […]
Survey shows solid medical device industry performance despite pandemic
By Stewart Eisenhart, Emergo Group Medical device and IVD manufacturers reported healthy performance over the course of 2020, but also faced significant operational and regulatory challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. Get the full story here at the Emergo Group’s blog. The opinions expressed in this blog post are the author’s only and do not […]
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 91.3% effective after six months
The first COVID-19 vaccine to win emergency use authorization in the U.S. is highly effective for at least six months after the second dose. Developed jointly by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ: BNTX), the BNT162b2 vaccine The durability of COVID-19 vaccines had been something of an open question, although early clinical data suggested that Moderna’s mRNA-1273 […]
AstraZeneca vaccine offers little protection against South Africa SARS-CoV-2 variant
The ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is not effective against the B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa, according to a recent study published in NEJM. In a five-month study involving HIV-negative adults, 23 of 717 placebo recipients developed mild-to-moderate COVID-19 while 19 of 750 vaccine recipients did. Based […]
Federal judge dismisses antitrust lawsuit against BD
A federal judge in southern Illinois has dismissed a lawsuit that a small health provider filed against BD (NYSE:BDX) that claimed that the medtech giant engaged in antitrust behavior with distributors Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) and McKesson (NYSE: MCK). Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel had previously dismissed the lawsuit by Marion Diagnostic Center and Marion HealthCare, […]
39-year old Utah woman dies after getting second dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Researchers have not found causal links between COVID-19 vaccination and deaths, but a handful of post-vaccine deaths are making headlines. One such case is the death of Kassidi Kurrill, a 39-year-old resident of Ogden, Utah, who recently passed away four days after receiving the second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Before her death, Kurrill complained […]
