The medical device industry weathered the COVID-19 pandemic well — and is now set to roll out a host of innovations in 2021. Economists generally expect the U.S. to see a boom as we emerge from the pandemic and resulting recession. Medtech companies appear set to ride the wave this year, with plans to seek approval or […]
Johnson & Johnson
A quick history of the tech behind J&J, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines
Regulatory authorities in the U.S. and Europe have either paused or constrained the use of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), causing some to wonder why the adenoviral-vector vaccines have been potentially linked to similar blood clotting events. Researchers have observed blood clotting events associated with adenoviral vectors since the late-1990s […]
Vaccine panel postpones vote on J&J COVID-19 vaccine
A CDC advisory committee decided not to vote on how Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine should be deployed, reasoning that it needs more time to review data related to rare blood clots potentially linked to the vaccine. The CDC and FDA announced on April 13 their recommendation to pause the vaccine’s use on safety grounds. […]
EU won’t renew J&J, AstraZeneca vaccine contracts, report says
Reports from Italy claim that the European Union Commission won’t renew COVID-19 vaccine contracts next year with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. According to Reuters, Italian outlet La Stampa reported that sources from the Italian health ministry have said the commission does not want to pursue contract renewals with those two companies once those encompassing the current year expire, […]
Pfizer to boost vaccine production for U.S. by 10%
Pfizer will deliver 10% more of its COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. by the end of May than originally planned, its CEO tweeted yesterday. The tweet follows the federal government’s decision to recommend a temporary halt in the distribution of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, which has been tied to rare instances of blood clot […]
Feds halt J&J COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot concern
The FDA and CDC issued a joint statement today recommending the pause in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. As of yesterday, more than 6.8 million doses of the J&J single-dose vaccine had been administered in the U.S. Among recipients of those doses, six cases of a rare and severe type of blood […]
J&J Vision, Menicon to collaborate on therapeutic contact lens
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Vision announced today that it entered into a strategic collaboration with Menicon for contact lens development. J&J Vision and Menicon are partnering to bring forward a novel portfolio of products and services to manage the progression of myopia, sometimes known as “nearsightedness,” in children, according to a news release. Menicon is […]
Emergent has reportedly had serious problems at Baltimore vaccine plant
Emergent BioSolutions was not prepared to take on the mammoth task of churning out millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to support U.S. efforts to end the pandemic, according to a report published today in The New York Times. Emergent was ill-equipped despite a $163 million federal contract to prepare the facility for high-volume production, according to the Times investigation, […]
Feds put J&J in charge of vaccine production at Emergent plant
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced that it assumed full responsibility for the production of its COVID-19 vaccine at the Emergent BioSolutions Bayview (Baltimore) facility. The company’s announcement comes days after news broke that a factory error made at that facility resulted in 15 million discarded COVID-19 vaccines. Get the full story at our sister site, […]
Whistleblower: FDA downplayed safety issues at Merck vaccine plant
A former FDA inspector accused the agency of downplaying safety problems at a Merck plant tapped to manufacture Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. The whistleblower alleged that a 2018 inspection uncovered evidence that employees in the facility in Durham, N.C.engaged in a host of unsanitary practices. A letter to President Biden from the U.S. Office […]
8 medical device companies that beat the COVID-19 pandemic and prospered
Some medical device businesses not only survived the COVID-19 pandemic but actually thrived — with many producing the medtech needed to fight the coronavirus’s spread. Medical Design & Outsourcing recently analyzed financials for 20 of the largest medical device businesses in the world. Not only was revenue only slightly down for the 20 during 2020, but it was […]
