Novartis Pays $678 Million for Kickbacks to Doctors
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. of East Hanover, New Jersey has agreed to pay $678 million to settle a civil fraud lawsuit in which the U.S. government accused the company of illegally providing doctors with cash payments and other gifts for prescribing their cardiovascular and diabetes drugs between 2002 and 2011.1 Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of […]
Intranasal COVID-19 Vaccine May Be More Effective Than Injected Vaccines
There are more than 150 experimental COVID-19 vaccines under development around the world, all of which are being designed for intramuscular injection.1 Some researchers are investigating whether the conventional intramuscular injection route is less effective when using vaccines to prevent microbial infections that invade the respiratory airway like SARS-CoV-2.2 Avery August, PhD, an immunologist at […]
U.S. Troops Will Be Among the First to Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Senior White House officials reported that United States service members would be among the first Americans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after it has been licensed. Officials said the groups likely to receive the vaccine first include the most vulnerable people such as the elderly, patients with underlying health conditions, employees in essential businesses and […]
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 […]
Genetically Engineered Cow Plasma Therapy for COVID-19 Will Be Tested on Humans
Story Highlights Human trials for a new COVID-19 immunotherapy candidate (SAB-185) that is derived from genetically engineered cow plasma will begin in July 2020. The cows have been genetically engineered to produce human antibodies to fight off COVID-19. Plasma from the cows is expected to assist COVID-19 patients overcome the infection. SAb Biotherapeutics (SAB), a […]
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 […]