Category Archives: AZBio News

Johnson & Johnson Announces a Lead Vaccine Candidate for COVID-19; Landmark New Partnership with U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; and Commitment to Supply One Billion Vaccines Worldwide for Emergency Pandemic Use

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Alex Gorsky, chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, one of several companies that’s developed a potential coronavirus vaccine, tells TODAY that his company has a candidate “that has a high degree of probability of being successful.” He anticipates starting tests in humans in September and says “We could have vaccines ready in Q1 and Q2 of 2021.” (Source:  TODAY Show)Continue reading→

Abbott Announces EUA Approval of Rapid Molecular Point-of-care Test for COVID-19

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ABBOTT LAUNCHES MOLECULAR POINT-OF-CARE TEST TO DETECT NOVEL CORONAVIRUS IN AS LITTLE AS FIVE MINUTES

– The Abbott ID NOW™ COVID-19 test brings rapid testing to the front lines

– Test to run on Abbott’s point-of-care ID NOW platform – a portable instrument that can be deployed where testing is needed most
– ID NOW has the largest molecular point-of-care installed base in the U.S. and is available in a wide range of healthcare settings
– Abbott will be making ID NOW COVID-19 tests available next week and expects to ramp up manufacturing to deliver 50,000 tests per day
– This is the company’s second test to receive Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA for COVID-19 detection; combined, Abbott expects to produce about 5 million tests per monthContinue reading→

Additional Warnings Issued for COVID-19 Possible Treatments

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In the last 48-hours, there have been multiple reports warning the public about the medicines being tested as possible treatments for COVID-19. See below:

  1. Chloroquine treats malaria: Will it work against coronavirus? The side effects are risky, experts say
  2. AZ Couple took chloroquine phosphate – Man died; Woman in ICU
  3. Virus Drug Touted by Trump, Musk Can Kill With Just Two Gram Dose
  4. Which Covid-19 drugs work ? The first medical reports are in, but there’s no silver bullet for coronavirus infection yet.

At this time, there is no drug treatment that has been found to be effective in patients with COVID-19 and none has been approved by regulatory agencies to treat COVID-19. Several antivirals (including favipiravir, remdesivir, umifenovir and lopinavir/ritonavir) and antiinflammatory drugs (azithromycin) and antimalarials (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine) are now being tested in clinical research for their potential benefit. Chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin) are known to prolong QTc and can cause potentially lethal arrhythmias (TdP). The combination of lopinavir and ritonavir is known to cause QT prolongation and is being followed to see if it also is associated with TdP arrhythmias. 

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