Sanofi (SNY +1.6%) is the latest company that will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to accelerate the development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing the current outbreak (COVID-19).
Sanofi will leverage its recombinant DNA platform to produce the vaccine. It inked an agreement with BARDA in December 2019 to establish state-of-the-art facilities in the U.S. for the sustained production of an adjuvanted recombinant flu vaccine in the event of a pandemic (based on the same platform).
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical unit announced a similar collaboration last week.
Studies of Gilead coronavirus drug proceeding slowly
Wuhan-based clinical trials evaluating Gilead Sciences’ (NASDAQ:GILD) antiviral drug remdesivir for the potential treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection are proceeding slowly due to the lack of qualified participants. Total projected enrollment is 761, but only 168 have been recruited after 10 days since eligible patients must not have taken other treatments within 30 days.
Severely ill patients must be within 12 days of disease onset according to screening criteria. Mild and moderate patients need to be within eight days of onset. All must have lab test-confirmed infection. The main issue is than many have already started taking medicines at home, either those recommended by state media or based on online information, while waiting to be admitted to hospitals.
According to a Ministry of Health official, antimalarial drug chloroquine and flu drug favipiravir have shown some efficacy in ongoing studies.
Expanded use of Pfizer’s Vyndaqel Ok’d in Europe
As expected, the European Commission approves Pfizer’s (NYSE:PFE) Vyndaqel (tafamidis) for the treatment of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis in adult patients with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), the first drug approved in Europe for the indication.
About two months ago, the advisory group CHMP adopted a positive opinion backing approval.
Health Catalyst to acquire Able Health
Health Catalyst (NASDAQ:HCAT) has agreed to acquire San Francisco-based Able Health, an SaaS provider of quality and regulatory measurement tracking and reporting, for an undisclosed sum of cash and stock.
The transaction should close this quarter.
WuXi Biologics up 3% on vaccine production deal
Ultra-thinly traded WuXi Biologics (OTCPK:WXXWY +3%) is up, albeit on a scant 1,479 shares, on the heels of its announcement that WuXi Vaccines, its joint venture with Shanghai Hile Bio-technology, has inked a 20-year vaccine manufacturing agreement with an unnamed global vaccine leader valued at ~$3B.
Under the terms of the deal, WuXi Vaccines will build a dedicated production facility that, it says, should be on line in 2022.
