China has five COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials. Now one of them, from state-owned Sinopharm, has reported positive results from animal tests.The vaccine candidate, dubbed BBIBP-CorV and made from an inactivated form of the virus, induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2—the virus behind COVID-19—in rodents, rabbits and monkeys without triggering any serious adverse events, a team of Chinese researchers reported in the journal Cell.
A multi-arm phase 1/2 trial examining the vaccine’s safety, as well as antibody and cellular immunity at three different dosing strengths, is ongoing, according to China’s clinical trial registry.
Moderna & Merck See Speed Bumps in Vaccine Manufacturing
With more than 130 vaccines against COVID-19 under development, headlines highlighting their progress swirl at a dizzying pace. But behind the scenes, execs at some of the leading players are intensely focused on the details needed to produce the candidates on a massive scale.
For instance? Sourcing raw materials and assembling the labor force needed to produce hundreds of millions of shots in record time, execs for Moderna and Merck said at BIO’s digital conference this week.
When Moderna started its vaccine program earlier this year, the company anticipated making about 100 million vaccine doses per year, CEO Stéphane Bancel said during a BIO virtual panel on vaccine manufacturing. That’s a “pretty good volume” for most vaccines but “very tiny” compared to the global need amid the current pandemic, he added.
Hamptons Restaurant Crowds May Force Phase 2 Reversal
Restaurants and bars in the Hamptons that saw some of the most complaints of violations under phase two of the New York State reopening guidelines may lose their liquor license and trigger a regional shutdown, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Sunday.The development comes as Long Island celebrated its first weekend of outdoor dining since March under phase two of reopening from the coronavirus shutdown. Phase two arrived in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Wednesday. Indoor dining is expected to return with limited capacity on June 24, when phase three is projected to start on LI.
The governor warned that if the guidance is not followed and coronavirus cases begin to rise, the state will halt and possibly reverse the phased reopening plan in certain regions. Restaurants that don’t follow the license risk losing their liquor licenses, as state regulators are out doing inspections.