Early data from Israel’s Sheba Medical Center showed that an additional booster of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) led to a fivefold increase in antibodies one week after receipt of the vaccine. Pfizer had earlier announced that a third dose of the vaccine increased antibody levels 25-fold compared to a two-dose primary…
Distributed control system supports CMO’s surge in drug production during the pandemic
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) quickly expanded its manufacturing capacity at its Greenville, North Carolina plant to meet demand. The expansion involved adding a new production suite, safeguarding quality, and enabling sufficient production flexibility. During the expansion, the plant upgraded its existing Distributed Control System (DCS) to support…
CDC’s ACIP deprioritizes Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 15 to 0 to prioritize the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s. One of the main reasons for the recommendation is a rare side effect associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that results in low blood clots and blood-platelet levels. CDC officials revealed…
J&J joins Moderna and Pfizer in researching Omicron variant
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has announced that it is collaborating with academic institutions internationally to gauge the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. In particular, J&J said it is conducting research on blood serum from clinical trial volunteers who have received single or multiple doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. The…
California and Colorado to allow COVID-19 boosters for all adults
COVID-19 vaccine booster eligibility has gradually expanded, but a significant portion of adults don’t meet the current criteria set forth by FDA and CDC. California and Colorado have decided to sidestep the federal government by making all fully vaccinated adults in those states eligible for a booster. California will require that six months have elapsed…
Moderna takes big hit on missed Q3 projections
Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) shares took a big hit today on third-quarter results that came up short of the consensus forecast. MRNA shares were down 17.1% at $286.80 per share in mid-morning trading today. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — was up 0.2%. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company…
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…
AstraZeneca mandates COVID-19 vaccination for U.S. employees
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…
Moderna and Azzur bolster cleanroom partnership
Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) will become the anchor tenant in a new facility from Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand (COD) in Burlington, Mass. Cambridge, Mass.–based Moderna has seen its business skyrocket in the past year. Its sales growth in the second quarter of the year grew 6,399% compared with Q2 2020. “As Moderna grows at an accelerated pace,…
Moderna to build mRNA manufacturing facility in Canada
Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) announced today that it entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build a vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada. Cambridge, Mass.-based Moderna did not disclose where in Canada the facility will be located. A CBC News report cited a company’s spokesperson as saying the company is in negotiations with Ottawa over the location…