Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has announced that it has reached an agreement with BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to produce their popular COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccine. The companies reached a new production agreement that will leave Novartis responsible for fill-and-finish operations related to the mRNA-based vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. Under the agreement, Novartis will produce at least…
Moderna to build mRNA plant in Africa
As the pendulum of vaccinating the world against COVID-19 begins to swing to developing countries, Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) will build an mRNA facility in Africa that could produce as many as 500 million 50-µg vaccine doses annually. Its currently authorized booster has a 100-µg dose of mRNA, but the company aims to use a 50-µg dose…
EU committee backs Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster doses
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech SE (NSDQ: BNTX) have received a positive opinion from the E.U.’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for the use of a Comirnaty booster dose in individuals at least 18 years of age at least six months after the second dose. The European Commission (EC) will likely make a formal decision on…
Why is the U.S. vaccination rate stalling?
In a recent press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki touched on the flatlining COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U.S. Despite a series of vaccine mandates, the daily rate of new COVID-19 vaccinations is the lowest it’s been since mid-January, according to CDC data. Daily U.S. vaccination rates have dipped below 500,000 doses per…
Report: U.S. set to buy hundreds of millions of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to share
The Biden administration reportedly plans to purchase and share with the world hundreds of millions of doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Washington Post reported today that the U.S. has plans to make another large purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, although details of the deal have not been made clear. Neither the White House nor Pfizer…
The details of Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate remain unclear for many
President Biden’s announcement that the Labor Department will implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate has sent shockwaves rippling through the country. In particular, the plan calls for employers with 100 or more employees to require full vaccination or undergo weekly testing. Conservative politicians balked at the notion of a vaccine mandate. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has threatened…
Florida Gov. DeSantis threatens fines for imposing COVID-19 vaccination mandates
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said fines would be levied to city and county governments requiring COVID-19 vaccines for their employees. A report from Yahoo cited DeSantis as claiming Florida would fine local governments $5,000 for each employee that is forced to get a vaccine in order to carry on working. This comes on the back…
President Biden announces COVID-19 vaccine mandates
In the early days of the administration, the White House stressed the importance of providing adequate infrastructure for mass vaccination. But now that vaccination rates have stalled, President Biden is advocating a more forceful approach. In an address yesterday, Biden advocated that the private sector enact vaccine mandates and urged healthcare workers to recommend shots…
Full COVID-19 vaccination could ultimately mean three doses
While mRNA vaccines from Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) had 95% efficacy in Phase 3 clinical trials, their effectiveness in the real world has dropped with the rise of the Delta variant. As a result, breakthrough infections have grown more common in people who have received two doses of mRNA vaccines. Ultimately, full vaccination may require…
U.S. vaccination rates tick up after Pfizer vax approval
The number of daily vaccinations in the U.S. has steadily increased since early June with the rise of the Delta variant. FDA’s decision to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first to win that status, on August 23 appears to have hastened vaccinations further. Vaccinations have increased by 17% after that decision. In particular, the approval…