The global pharmaceutical industry held up well during the pandemic, with 10 of the largest businesses only seeing a roughly –3% drop in revenue in 2020. Eight of the 10 even came out ahead. That’s one of the big takeaways from our sister publication Drug Discovery & Development’s inaugural Pharma 50, a compilation of data […]
GlaxoSmithKline plc
Former head of Operation Warp Speed leaves two more drug companies
Following allegations of sexual harassment, former head of Operation Warp Speed Moncef Slaoui has left roles at two more companies. Yesterday, Slaoui was terminated as the chair of the Galvani board of directors, GlaxoSmithKline’s board of directors announced. The same day, Vaxcyte confirmed in an SEC filing that it had axed Slaoui as its chairman […]
Former head of Operation Warp Speed loses board seat over sexual harassment claims
GlaxoSmithKline’s board of directors announced today that it terminated Moncef Slaoui as the chair of the Galvani board of directors. Slaoui previously served as the head of Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration’s program to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development. He was terminated effective immediately, according to a news release from GSK, the majority shareholder […]
Biden announces $4B to support global vaccinations worldwide
President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is set to provide $4 billion to the COVAX Facility to support access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. Money appropriated by a December 2020 Congressional vote will comprise an initial $2 billion contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for the COVAX advance market commitment (AMC) covering 92 […]
Sanofi to provide COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing for rival Pfizer
Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) announced today that it entered into an agreement to support the manufacturing and supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine is one of two to receive FDA emergency use authorization in the U.S. and it also has clearance in Europe, having received both nods in December 2020. The deal between Sanofi provides BioNTech access […]
What are the top COVID-19 vaccine candidates?
As of yesterday, five COVID-19 vaccine candidates had begun Phase 3 clinical trials as they seek to determine the safety and efficacy of their formulas. Researchers worldwide are testing 132 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including 42 that are in clinical trials on humans and at least 92 in preclinical or animal trials, according to the New […]
Canada lining up millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines
Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) have all agreed to supply Canada with a total of more than 90 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Beginning in 2021, Government of Canada is set to receive up to 72 million doses of an adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine from Sanofi and GSK, while the country also increased its confirmed […]
Drug companies agree not to release COVID-19 vaccine until it’s ready
Executives from nine different drug companies today announced a pledge to ensure safety with a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The CEOs of AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Merck (NYSE:MRK), Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA), Novavax (NSDQ:NVAX), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), all of whom are developing vaccine candidates, all signed the pledge, which vows to “uphold the integrity of the scientific process” […]
DTW Podcast: Truist’s Kaila Krum says Medtronic prepping for growth
In an interview with DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast, Truist Securities managing director Kaila Krum says Medtronic executives are retooling the company to keep pace with smaller, more focused competitors. Breaking down the company’s Q1 call, Krum says Medtronic is seen as a company that’s too big to grow market share quickly. On the call, new CEO […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Industry hits another mid-pandemic high
Despite a minor regression week-over-week, the medtech industry’s stocks hit another milestone as the COVID-19 rebound remains in progress. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — sat at 89.01 points at the end of last week (July 31). Overall, medtech stocks saw a -0.3% increase from the […]
GSK, Sanofi land $2.1B from feds to develop COVID-19 vaccine
The Trump administration has awarded Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) a contract for up to $1.2 billion to develop, manufacture and deliver a vaccine for COVID-19, the companies announced today. The vaccine candidate is based on the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine, and GSK’s established pandemic adjuvant (immunity-boosting) technology. Manufacturing will take […]
