Makers of Experimental COVID-19 Vaccines Lobby EU for Liability Protection
Vaccines Europe, a pharmaceutical industry lobbying group, has issued a memo to its member companies saying it would seek liability protection from the European Union (EU) for corporations manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines. The memo, obtained by the Financial Times, expressed concern about the “inevitable risks” of rushing the development and global marketing of COVID-19 vaccines.1 2 3 […]
81 Percent of Clinical Trial Volunteers Suffer Reactions to CanSino Biologics’ COVID-19 Vaccine That Uses HEK293 Human Fetal Cell Lines
An experimental vaccine for COVID-19 is being developed by CanSino Biologics, Inc. of Tianjin, China, in partnership with China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences’ Institute of Biotechnology. A Phase 1 human clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine (adenovirus type-5 Ad5-nCoV) has been completed in China involving 108 healthy adults, ranging in age from 45–60 years […]
A Vaccine for Coronavirus by Autumn?
There appears to be a consensus opinion among leading public health authorities that a coronavirus vaccine for COVID-19 would take at least 12-18 months to develop, test and be ready for market distribution. The projection assumes that an aggressive development schedule would produce a licensed vaccine proven safe and effective for use in humans no […]
Cholera Vaccine Recommended by European Medicines Agency
The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended the approval of the single-dose oral cholera vaccine Vaxchora, developed by multinational biopharmaceutical firm Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. of Gaithersburg, Maryland. On Jan. 30, 2020, the CHMP adopted a “positive opinion” on the granting of a marketing authorization for the bacterial […]
Tamiflu on Track to Be an Over-The-Counter Drug
In July 2019, drug and French vaccine manufacturer Sanofi signed a deal with Roche Pharmaceuticals to obtain exclusive over-the-counter (OTC) rights for Tamiflu (oseltamivir), an antiviral drug licensed for the treatment of influenza infections. Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, currently sells Tamiflu in the United States only for prescription use.1 Tamiflu is a […]
Kenya Launches Malaria Vaccine Pilot Program
Kenya has become the third African country, along with Ghana and Malawi, to launch a pilot program for the world’s first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, which has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The vaccine is available to children from six months of age in specific locations in Kenya due to its phased pilot introduction.1 2 Malaria […]
