AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) has sold its site in West Chester, Ohio, to National Resilience, a San Diego–headquartered biomanufacturing company. Resilience has agreed to maintain the site’s operations and assets while retaining its employees, including executives. The company will also continue investing in the site’s workforce and facility. Privately-held National Resilience also has separately announced that it…

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) was among the first companies to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but the firm has given up on marketing its Vaxzevria vaccine in the U.S. The company’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, announced that it had asked the FDA to withdraw its regulatory paperwork for Vaxzevria. The vaccine developed jointly with Oxford University saw considerable success…

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) has announced that its long-acting antibody combination Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab) has received marketing authorization in the European Union.  Formerly known as AZD7442, Evusheld is indicated for treating individuals 12 and older infected with SARS-CoV-2 who are at risk for severe COVID-19. The indication is limited to those weighing at least 40 kg…

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) has appointed Michel Demaré as the chair-designate of its board. Demaré will replace Leif Johansson, the current chair of the board of AstraZeneca, who plans to retire in April 2023. There will be a managed handover period in the coming months. Demaré joined AstraZeneca’s board of directors in September 2019 as an independent…

A new congressional report concluded that Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) attempted to hide evidence related to quality problems before informing the FDA that 15 million COVID-19 vaccines were contaminated. Prepared for Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and James E. Clyburn (D-SC), the report from the House and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis scrutinizes the quality controls in…

A number of developing nations have refused tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines, according to a report from Reuters. The countries had received doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX initiative, a global project that focuses on ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX has distributed 1.4 billion shots to 144 nations…

First approved in 2006 as an asthma treatment, AstraZeneca’s (LON:AZN) Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol) has also won an indication related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Now, FDA has approved the first generic of Symbicort for both indications. Viatris (Nasdaq:VTRS) partnered with Kindeva Drug Delivery (St. Paul, Minnesota) to manufacture the generic version. Last week, the companies…

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) will require that its American employees be fully vaccinated if they plan to work in its facilities or visit customers. Cambridge, U.K.–based AstraZeneca said the plan would also apply to workers at Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Boston, Mass.). AstraZeneca completed its acquisition of Alexion in July. AstraZeneca employees can seek vaccine exemptions but must obtain a…

After facing months of setbacks concerning its contract production of COVID-19 vaccine, Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) is making progress. Most recently, the FDA announced that “certain lots” of AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) COVID-19 vaccine drug substance produced in a facility in Baltimore are acceptable for export. Last week, the FDA gave the company permission to restart Johnson &…

The rate of vaccination in the U.S. continues to tick upward. On Aug. 1, healthcare workers administered 816,203 doses, marking one of the highest totals in recent weeks. Vaccination rates have increased about 24% in the past week, according to an estimate from UBS. If the trend holds, the daily vaccination rate could surpass one…