Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) said today that its TaqPath diagnostic kit can detect the emerging Omicron variant of COVID-19. Waltham, Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher’s polymerase chain reaction (PCR) TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit and TaqPath COVID-19 CE-IVD RT-PCR Kit, which test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19), offer accurate results for samples with the […]
COVID-19
Pfizer and Moderna keeping a close watch on Omicron COVID-19 variant
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) are planning to research their vaccines’ effectiveness against the highly mutated Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), which is behind a surge in infections in Johannesburg, South Africa. If needed, they plan to create new versions of their vaccines. The Omicron variant has more than 30 changes to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. “I […]
Time recognizes Abbott offerings among this year’s 100 best inventions
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) was among a series of medtech companies to receive recognition from Time in its list of 2021’s best inventions. The list of the year’s top inventions included Abbott’s innovations twice, with a nod to its NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic and its at-home COVID-19 testing offerings. Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.
Ellume’s at-home COVID-19 tests recall expands to more than 2 million
The FDA announced this week that a recall of Ellume at-home COVID-19 tests at risk of false positives has expanded to include more than 2 million. The Class I recall had only been in the hundreds of thousands of kits when first announced in October. The Australian company has stressed that the reliability of negative […]
World faces a shortage of up to 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine syringes
The World Health Organization (WHO) reportedly warned that a massive shortage of syringes for COVID-19 vaccines could be on the horizon. Reuters reported that WHO expert Lisa Hedman told a United Nations briefing that the potential shortage of 1 billion to 2 billion syringes could slow down routine immunizations and create issues with needle safety along […]
Moderna takes big hit on missed Q3 projections
Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) shares took a big hit today on third-quarter results that came up short of the consensus forecast. MRNA shares were down 17.1% at $286.80 per share in mid-morning trading today. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — was up 0.2%. Get the full story at our […]
BD ticks up on Street-beating Q4, sets 2022 guidance range
BD (NYSE:BDX) shares rose today on fourth-quarter results that came in ahead of the consensus forecast. The Franklin Lakes, New Jersey-based medtech posted profits of $242 million, or 84¢ per share, on sales of $5.1 billion for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2021, more than doubling its bottom line on sales growth of 7.3%. […]
Detect wins FDA authorization to sell COVID-19 test over the counter
Detect announced today that it received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) to sell its COVID-19 test over the counter. Guilford, Connecticut-based Detect develops a molecular rapid test designed to identify SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, at lower viral loads than antigen tests to allow for earlier detection, according to a news release. The Detect COVID-19 […]
Pfizer to provide 50M COVID-19 vaccines for U.S. children
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) announced today that the U.S. bought 50 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. purchased the additional doses of the vaccine in its effort to support preparedness for pediatric vaccinations as it seeks authorization for use in younger adolescents and children. Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Discovery […]
HHS, DOD invest more than $562M to increase COVID-19 test manufacturing
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DOD) have awarded more than $562 million for COVID-19 test manufacturing. The funding — part of the American Rescue Plan to boost manufacturing of key products that increase domestic testing supply — went to a dozen U.S. companies to support the production […]
Abbott rises on Street-beating Q3, increased EPS guidance
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) shares ticked up this morning on third-quarter results that easily topped the consensus forecast. The Abbott Park, Illinois-based company posted profits of $2.1 billion, or $1.17 per share, on sales of $10.9 billion for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2021, for a 70.5% bottom-line gain on sales growth of 23.4%. Adjusted to […]