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 […]
Israeli Woman Treated with COVID-19 “Passive Vaccine”
Hadassah Medical Center in partnership with the Israeli biotechnology company Kamada Ltd. in Jerusalem, Israel treated its first COVID-19 patient with what it described as a “passive vaccine.”1 Reportedly, a young female suffering from several underlying medical conditions, who had been hospitalized for several weeks and intubated, was passively vaccinated by injecting antibodies from a […]
Rapid Tests for Coronavirus Raise Concerns Over Accuracy
On Mar. 27, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to pharmaceutical and medical devices company Abbott Laboratories, Inc. of Abbott Park, Illinois for a rapid diagnostic test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus known as ID NOW.1 2 3 “We know how important it is to get point-of-care tests out […]
Anti-Depressants in Short Supply During COVID-19 Lockdowns
Drug shortages listed by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are exposing some of the ramifications of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including state lockdowns and social distancing regulations.1 Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride), an anti-depressant manufactured by Pfizer and its generic counterparts produced by other drug makers, have been added to the FDA’s list of […]
Allergy Risks Increase as FDA Changes Food Labeling Requirements During COVID-19 Pandemic
Opinion | On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public comment providing new guidance that will relax the labeling requirements on packaged food to allow food companies more flexibility during the COVD-19 pandemic. Companies selling food are now allowed to make minor changes to the formulation of food products […]
COVID-19 Vaccine Will Likely Be Given Multiple Times, Perhaps Annually
In an interview with the JAMA on June 2, 2020, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said that while he was “cautiously optimistic” about the effectiveness of the vaccines being developed for COVID-19, he was concerned that any protection the vaccines may provide might only be temporary. […]