Category: Astrazeneca

Some Vaccinated Australian Seniors Remain Hesitant on Vaccine Safety

Among older Australians who have said they were overwhelmingly likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, some are still raising concerns of vaccine safety and efficacy. COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, has tragically led to the death of 2,168 Australians, 96 percent of whom were aged 50 and over. Currently,…


AstraZeneca, Oxford Aim to Produce Omicron-Targeted Vaccine

AstraZeneca Plc said on Tuesday it is working with Oxford University to produce a vaccine for the Omicron coronavirus variant, joining other vaccine-makers who are looking to develop the variant-specific vaccine. “Together with Oxford University, we have taken preliminary steps in producing an Omicron variant vaccine, in case it is needed and will be informed…


The Week Ahead in Biotech (Dec. 19–25): Amgen and Aquestive Regulatory Decisions Key Events of Holiday-Shortened Week

Biotech stocks reversed course and advanced solidly in the week ending Dec. 17, as an increase in risk aversion pushed investors to buy into defensive stocks. The sector also drew strength from some positive stock-specific news. Among the regulatory decisions for the week, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to argenx SE’s efgartigimod for…


US FDA Approves AstraZeneca-Amgen Drug for Severe Asthma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AstraZeneca and Amgen’s drug, Tezspire, to treat severe asthma for those aged 12 years and older, the companies said on Friday. The approval is based on late-stage trial data that showed the drug cut the rate of asthma attacks by 56 percent among patients when compared with…


Pfizer Set to Oust AstraZeneca as Top Supplier of COVID-19 Shots to Poor Nations

BRUSSELS—Pfizer and BioNtech are set to displace AstraZeneca as the main suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines to the global COVAX programme at the start of 2022, a shift that shows the increasing importance of their shot for poorer states. The expected change comes with headaches for receiving countries that lack sufficient cold storage capacity to handle…


AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Prevention Jab Granted Emergency Authorization for Immune Compromised

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 8 issued an emergency use authorization for an AstraZeneca COVID-19 antibody drug designed to help prevent infection in people with compromised immune systems. The drug, called Evusheld, is a combination of two long-acting synthetic antibodies: tixagevimab and cilgavimab, which are derived from B-cells donated by patients who have recovered from the…


All Australians to Be Urged to Get COVID-19 Boosters

Letters will be sent to 11.3 million Australian homes before Christmas urging people to get COVID-19 booster shots, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed. Morrison said the booster program would be essential for the nation to avoid another round of virus infection. “Thanks to the high vaccination rates, we are now reopening. Our economy is strongly…


Prime Minister Sends Letters to Millions of Australians Encouraging COVID-19 Booster Shots

Letters will be sent to 11.3 million Australian homes before Christmas urging people to get COVID-19 booster shots, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed. Morrison said the booster program would be essential for the nation to avoid another round of virus infection. “Thanks to the high vaccination rates, we are now reopening. Our economy is strongly…


AstraZeneca Plans to Begin Selling COVID-19 Vaccines at Profit

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which said it would not take a profit from its COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, has now unveiled plans to start selling the shots at “modest profitability.” In its latest financial results published on Friday, AstraZeneca said it is now “expecting to progressively transition the vaccine to modest profitability as new orders…


Australian Professor and COVID-19 Vaccine Developer Could Lose Job After Refusing Shots

Australian professor and vaccine developer Nikolai Petrovsky faces losing his job after refusing to get one of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)-approved shots, the ABC reported. Petrovsky developed his own COVID-19 vaccine, called COVAX-19, through his company Vaxine, which has laboratories at Flinders University. It completed phase one trials in August last year and the Adelaide-based medical researcher has administered the vaccine himself. However,…