COVID-19

Humira currently holds the record as the bestselling drug ever. But Keytruda is coming for its crown – and beyond that, Zepbound.

From the unfavorable comparisons brought about by lower pandemic-related product sales, vaccines for other diseases bring hopes for longer-term success.

The RSV vaccine performed well in the third quarter but is in a competitive fight with GSK’s Arexvy. Pfizer also announced Phase III results for its mRNA-based flu vaccine.

The company lowered Paxlovid and Comirnaty 2023 revenue projections by $9bn, announced plans for the commercial transition of the products, and revealed a cost-cutting plan.

The US biotech major says that preliminary data show that its mRNA-1083 combination vaccine yielded antibody levels in the blood similar to or greater than two Sanofi flu vaccines and its own COVID-19 shot Spikevax.

Slower COVID-19 vaccine sales will see Moderna’s revenues decline this year, but the company is investing heavily to speed a new wave of therapies to the market.

In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: the rise of Novo Nordisk; senior level changes at Novartis; Moderna’s progress against BA.2.86; major new CNS drugs coming; and Boehringer Ingelheim’s head of innovation on R&D priorities.

Some of China's makers of COVID-19 antivirals are fast-tracking neutralizing antibodies and peptide fusion inhibitors in clinical trials, while vaccine developers are embroiled in a tougher situation against the mutating coronavirus.

Pfizer said it also had preclinical data showing that the updated version of its vaccine has activity against the subvariant, which may be able to break through immunity

The company’s Phase II POC trial did not meet the pain primary endpoint, but fatigue may be more relevant in long COVID despite the condition’s overlap with fibromyalgia.

Emergex CEO and ex-research director at the University of Oxford, Thomas Rademacher, spoke with Scrip about the myth of the “Wuhan virus” and why synthetic T-cell adaptive vaccines are expected to be superior to RNA/mRNA ones. More partners are being sought for additional delivery mechanisms, the founder of the UK-based, clinical-stage biotech says in this podcast interview.

In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: Roche’s TIGIT data leak; Regeneron gets important US approvals; COVID subvariant vaccine progress; Pfizer’s RSV vaccine extended approval; and Japan recommends lecanemab for Alzheimer’s.

The company is developing a next-generation antibody for prevention of COVID-19 that targets highly conserved regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and thus may be able to overcome resistance.

The companies are all preparing to make available vaccines targeted to Omicron XBB subvariants, with the expectation that demand in the US will be about 50 million to 100 million doses.

While not direct competitors in all therapeutic areas, Pfizer’s and Merck’s sales offered some stark contrasts in the second quarter.

In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: Pfizer’s cost improvement and COVID outlook; Roche CEO outlines M&A criteria; Organon maintains women’s health focus; will Indian pharma families sell their stakes; and a look at new therapies in the pipeline for multiple myeloma.