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Next step in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine development

Moderna’s has announced that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate meets its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study, with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5%. “This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate. This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.

To learn more about Moderna’s work on mRNA-1273, visit www.modernatx.com/COVID19.

Pfizer and BioNTech announce promising Covid-19 vaccine candidate 

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced their mRNA-based vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, against SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated evidence of efficacy against COVID-19 in participants without prior evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, based on the first interim efficacy analysis conducted on November 8, 2020 by an external, independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) from the Phase 3 clinical study. The case split between vaccinated individuals and those who received the placebo indicates a vaccine efficacy rate above 90%, at seven days after the second dose. “The first interim analysis of our global Phase 3 study provides evidence that a vaccine may effectively prevent COVID-19. This is a victory for innovation, science and a global collaborative effort,” said Prof. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder and CEO. More details on the vaccine candidate can be found on the BioNTech website.

Olympus acquires FH ORTHO

Olympus Corporation announced that it has acquired FH ORTHO SAS, an international orthopedic company headquartered in Heimsbrunn, France, following the close of a definitive agreement the two companies signed in the summer of 2020. The acquisition underscores Olympus' commitment to expanding in the growing field of orthopedic minimally invasive surgery both organically and through mergers and acquisitions, with the overarching goal of developing innovative solutions that improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall costs and enhance quality of life for patients.

Retest for COVID-19

People who’ve had COVID-19 should be swab tested again 4 or more weeks after symptoms first appear to minimise the risk of onward infection, suggests a large population based study in one of Italy’s former coronavirus hotspots, and published in the online journal BMJ Open. This is because SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection, takes an average of 30 days to clear from the body after the first positive test result and an average of 36 days after symptoms first appear, the study findings show. And it’s not yet known how infectious a person may be in the recovery phase, warn the researchers.