Company has faced lawsuits about its talc products but insists they are safe Johnson & Johnson is to stop selling and making talc-based baby powder globally, two years after it ended sales in the US and Canada. The healthcare giant has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits from consumers who allege its talc products, including …
Johnson & Johnson to stop making talc-based baby powder globally Read More »
European Commission ‘gave no good reason’ why its president’s messages with Pfizer were not released The EU’s official watchdog has issued a formal reprimand to the European Commission over its president Ursula von der Leyen’s failure to release text messages exchanged with the boss of Pfizer during the pandemic. The EU ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, on …
Watchdog reprimands EU executive for failing to share Von der Leyen texts Read More »
A ruling on whether or not to waive patent rules will this week show if the trade body is for the world or the west A crisis at the World Trade Organization has been brewing for years and it now looks like coming to a head. There are many potential flash points as trade ministers …
The WTO faces a make or break week over vaccines | Larry Elliott Read More »
Moderna shot is said to produce eightfold increase in antibody levels against Omicron in first four weeks An updated version of Moderna’s Covid vaccine produces an eightfold increase in antibody levels against the Omicron variant, according to early trial results, raising hopes for a once-a-year booster to protect against the disease. The vaccine is the …
Trials of new Covid vaccine raise hopes of once-a-year booster Read More »
Firm launches ‘healthier world’ accord in Davos and speaks to other drugmakers about similar steps Pfizer has announced it is to supply all its current and future patent-protected medicines and vaccines on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries and is talking to other big drugmakers about similar steps. Announcing the “accord for a healthier …
Pfizer to offer low-cost medicines to 45 lower-income countries Read More »
The proposal, if passed by the full council, could allow other countries to make vaccines without paying pharmaceutical companies The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) most powerful members said on Tuesday that they had agreed on a proposed waiver on intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines in the hopes of speeding up rollouts worldwide. The proposal …
Hopes rise for Covid vaccine patent waiver after key countries agree on proposal Read More »
Pharma firm criticised over pricing and for keeping monopoly control over vaccine and new Paxlovid pill See all our coronavirus coverage Pfizer has made nearly $26bn (£21bn) in revenues in the first three months of the year, the bulk from its Covid-19 vaccine and new pill to treat the virus, prompting fresh accusations of pandemic …
Pfizer accused of Covid profiteering as first-quarter sales hit $26bn Read More »
Resolutions to be voted on at shareholder meeting including stopping global sales of product and racial justice audit Women’s health groups are calling on healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson’s largest shareholders to force the company to end all sales of its controversial talc-based baby powder and hire an independent firm to conduct a racial justice …
Johnson & Johnson shareholders called on to end talc baby powder sales Read More »
GlaxoSmithKline’s £1.5bn Sierra Oncology deal comes after pressure to boost its pipeline from Elliott The UK drug company GlaxoSmithKline has agreed a £1.5bn deal to buy a US cancer treatment developer as it tries to fend off pressure from activist shareholder Elliott Management. The deal will give Britain’s second-largest pharmaceutical company access to California-based Sierra …
GSK to buy US cancer drug developer amid pressure from activist investor Read More »
Union warns of complete breakdown of health system with hospitals ‘all running out of medicines’ Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has deteriorated into a medical crisis, with the top medical union declaring a national health emergency over a life-threatening shortage of drugs. On Tuesday, the country’s most powerful trade union, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), …
Sri Lanka faces medical emergency as economic crisis hits drug supplies Read More »
After mishaps and misinformation, jab will build ‘global wall of immunity’, says director of Oxford Vaccine Group Exactly two years ago Prof Sir Andrew Pollard was starting to panic. “We were just waking up to the reality of Covid-19 and that we would need vaccines for our very survival,” the director of the Oxford Vaccine …
Oxford Covid jab gears up for final act: saving the rest of the world Read More »
Program to facilitate access to antivirals will have a limited impact because pharmacists are restricted from prescribing the pills A major new Biden administration initiative to facilitate access to Covid-19 antivirals will have a limited impact and fail to mitigate certain health inequities, major pharmacist groups argue, because pharmacists are restricted from prescribing the pills. …
Test to Treat: pharmacists say Biden’s major new Covid initiative won’t work Read More »
Pair join Gordon Brown and 126 others in attack on ‘self-defeating nationalism, pharmaceutical monopolies and inequality’ Prince Harry and Meghan, the actor Charlize Theron and the former British prime minister Gordon Brown are among 130 signatories to a letter lambasting wealthy countries’ approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, labelling it “immoral, entirely self-defeating and also an …
Harry and Meghan add voices to fierce critique of west’s Covid vaccine policies Read More »
Oil is always a political business, and there’s no point pretending otherwise First BP, now Shell. The rush to disinvest from Russia is impressively quick since it’s possible to imagine an alternative script in which the oil companies’ boards tried to buy time by issuing woolly “all options are open” statements. A definitive statement to …
BP and Shell lead rush to exit Russia. There can be no going back Read More »
Experts are predicting demand for life-saving antiviral drugs will rapidly outpace supply. Like the vaccine, the poorest countries will be left until last Covid-19 has quietly become the gift that keeps on giving for big pharma. The past two years has seen it reap huge profits from Covid vaccines, while simultaneously opposing wider sharing of …
Despite the success of Covid jabs, there is huge – and understandable – mistrust of the pharmaceutical industry Last week, a commission set up by Stanford University and the Lancet found that the devastating opioid crisis in North America could happen again, and not just there. The unethical practices that Patrick Radden Keefe documented in …
Move to hold shareholder vote follows withdrawal of product in US and Canada and lawsuits alleging link to cancer cases The healthcare company Johnson & Johnson is facing an attempt to force a shareholder vote to halt its sales of talc-based baby powder across the world, including the UK, amid concerns over alleged links to …
Johnson & Johnson faces push to force global ban on talc baby powder sales Read More »
Finding the right medicine at the right price was once a lottery – now the crowdsourcing service I set up is bringing down the cost of illness In July 2015, as my 82-year-old grandmother, Sophie Mafuku, lay dying of a terminal illness in Zimbabwe, I spent a day speaking to fellow pharmacists as I tried …
Regulator heavily critical of aides to Ursula von der Leyen in relation to Covid vaccine messages An investigation by an EU watchdog into text messages sent by European commission president Ursula von der Leyen to Pfizer’s chief executive has found the European Commission guilty of ‘maladministration’. Von der Leyen’s aides are heavily criticised in the …
European Commission guilty of ‘maladministration’ over Pfizer texts Read More »
QuantBioRes says it designs treatments for viral diseases based on electromagnetic frequency A Danish “biotech” company in which Novak Djokovic holds a majority stake is working on a “frequency” treatment for Covid-19 that an expert says bears similarities to the principles of homeopathy. The world No 1 men’s tennis player was forced to leave Australia …
Djokovic-backed ‘biotech’ firm’s approach likened to homeopathy Read More »
QuantBioRes is working on a treatment not a vaccine, but CEO says tennis star is ‘not anti-vax’ Novak Djokovic is the controlling shareholder in a Danish biotech firm aiming to develop a treatment for Covid-19 that does not involve vaccination, it has emerged. The world No 1, who was deported from Australia this week after …
Djokovic has 80% stake in biotech firm developing Covid drug Read More »
Hal Barron to leave just as pressure builds on GSK to come up with new medicines Pharmaceuticals company GSK’s chief scientific officer is jumping ship, dealing a blow to the drugmaker as it seeks to rebuild its pipeline of new medicines and gears up for a corporate split in the summer. Hal Barron, the highly-regarded …
GSK’s top scientist jumps ship in new blow for pharmaceutical firm Read More »
Combined vaccine should be ready in time for winter infectious season in 2023, says drug firm’s chief executive Moderna is aiming to launch a single booster vaccination that will protect against both Covid-19 and flu within two years, its chief executive has said. Stéphane Bancel said that the combined vaccine – which will protect against …
Moderna aims to launch single Covid and flu booster jab within two years Read More »
Pfizer says its recently approved Paxlovid drug has almost 90% success in preventing severe illness if taken soon after infection The recent decision by regulators to approve the antiviral agent Paxlovid for use in the UK adds a formidable new weapon to the arsenal of treatments for Covid-19. Pfizer says the drug has almost 90% …
How antivirals provide hope to vulnerable Covid patients Read More »
German city where early Covid vaccine was developed uses its new-found wealth to slash debt and attract other biotech firms The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is having an unexpected side-effect on the German municipality where scientists first developed it: for the first time in three decades the city of Mainz expects to become debt-free thanks to the …
Pfizer/BioNTech tax windfall brings Mainz an early Christmas present Read More »
Pharmaceuticals firm says third dose of its Covid vaccine increases antibodies against variant by 37-fold Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The pharmaceuticals company Moderna has said a booster dose of its Covid vaccine appeared to protect against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version will continue …
Moderna says booster produces strong antibody response to Omicron Read More »
Analysis: scientists are only starting to understand new Covid mutation but there is encouraging news from the laboratory, South Africa and on antiviral drugs Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage It’s hard to find much good news among the waves of grim statistics that have washed over the nation since the emergence …
Is there any good news at all on Omicron? Yes, there are small signs of hope Read More »
Biden administration targets four chemical companies and man said to be world’s leading producer of anabolic steroids The US has imposed sanctions on Chinese painkiller makers – including one man described as the biggest producer of anabolic steroids in the world – as it vowed to step up action to curb the addiction epidemic that …
US sanctions Chinese drugmakers amid addiction epidemic Read More »
Early trials show jab effective in people of all ages who have already received doses of any vaccine Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Efforts by the British and French drugmakers GSK and Sanofi Pasteur to produce a Covid-19 vaccine have suffered a further setback, with final clinical data on the jab …
GSK/Sanofi Covid booster delayed by lack of uninfected people to test it on Read More »
Billionaire family own and run world’s largest vaccine producer, Serum Institute of India Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The family of the Indian billionaire and self-proclaimed “prince of vaccines” Adar Poonawalla are donating £50m to Oxford University for the construction of a new research centre that will house the team who …
India’s Poonawalla family donate £50m for Oxford vaccine centre Read More »
New York’s Metropolitan Museum has cut public ties with the Purdue Pharma opioid-crisis family. But its name is now as thought-provoking as much of the world’s art A moment of silence, so we can all appreciate how gracious the Sackler family is. Yes, the family business, Purdue Pharma, is infamous for aggressively marketing the prescription …
Don’t strip the Sackler name from museums. It’s a visceral reminder of human greed Read More »
Focus on the exciting potential of T-cell immunity is spurring the sector on to create a new generation of jabs The speed at which scientists worked to develop the first Covid jabs was unprecedented. Just nine months after the UK went into lockdown, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan officially became the first person in the world outside …
As Covid mutates, the vaccine makers are adapting too Read More »
US company faces scrutiny over Covid profits after UK agrees to secrecy clause Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Ministers have agreed a secrecy clause in any dispute with the drugs manufacturer Pfizer over Britain’s Covid vaccine supply. Large portions of the government’s contracts with the company over the supply of 189m …
‘Wall of secrecy’ in Pfizer contracts as company accused of profiteering Read More »
Investigative reporter Patrick Radden Keefe will give money from business book of the year shortlisting to charity over involvement of McKinsey firm The American writer Patrick Radden Keefe has said he will give away the £10,000 he was awarded by a book prize whose sponsor helped to sell the opioid painkiller OxyContin. Radden Keefe’s damning …
US author to give away £10,000 prize cash over role of sponsor in opioid crisis Read More »
Experts hope better understanding of rare side effect of vaccine could help ‘turn the tide’ on pandemic Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Scientists believe they may have found the trigger behind the extremely rare blood clot complications stemming from the Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine. According to a team of researchers from Cardiff …
Covid: scientists find possible trigger for AstraZeneca jab blood clots Read More »
Duke of Sussex says on World Aids Day that vaccinating the world against Covid is ‘test of our moral character’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Duke of Sussex has warned of “corporate greed and political failure” prolonging the Covid pandemic, comparing a “spectacular failure” of global vaccine equity to the …
Prince Harry compares Covid vaccine inequity to HIV struggle Read More »
Stock markets dip as CEO says firms may struggle in targeting both new strain and existing Covid variants The chief executive of the US drugmaker Moderna has predicted that existing vaccines will be less effective against Omicron than they have been against the Delta version, sending global stock markets sharply lower. Stéphane Bancel said while …
Moderna boss predicts current vaccines may be less effective against Omicron covid Read More »
Covid has shown that the market cannot solve a global crisis. Now countries such as Britain must realise that too Late on Friday, with only days to go until its 12th summit was due to commence, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that its most important meeting of the year couldn’t proceed. With alarm spreading …
Scientists sceptical about Pascal Soriot’s suggestion Oxford jab may give longer-lasting protection Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Scientists have reacted with scepticism to claims by AstraZeneca’s CEO that low uptake of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab among elderly Europeans could explain the current surge in Covid-19 infections in mainland Europe. Pascal Soriot told …
AstraZeneca CEO links Europe’s Covid surge to rejection of its vaccine Read More »
Patients travelling long distances to find surgery cancelled as lack of anaesthetics shuts operating theatres in half of hospitals Almost half of Malawi’s district hospitals have closed their operating theatres due to a dire shortage of anaesthetics. Maternity care has been affected by a lack of drugs, said doctors. Surgery, including caesareans, has been cancelled …
Pregnant women at risk in Malawi as drug shortage prevents caesareans Read More »
Only 54 of 166 assessed treatments have policies aiding use by low-income countries, says non-profit group The world’s biggest drugs makers have pressed on in the fight against superbugs despite the pandemic, but millions of people in poorer countries, where the risk of drug-resistant infections is highest, are still missing out on key antibiotics. A …
Poorer nations still lack access to world’s key antibiotics Read More »
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will allow generic manufacturers to supply its Paxlovid pill; strict new Covid restrictions come into force for visitors to Beijing today Pfizer deal will allow generic versions of its Covid pill for world’s poor Auckland Covid travel restrictions to be lifted in December Germany set to tighten rules for unvaccinated people Fauci …
Antiviral pill taken at home can cut rate of hospital admission and death by nearly 90%, says drugmaker Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Pfizer has said that its experimental antiviral pill for Covid-19 cut rates of hospital admission and death by nearly 90%, as the drugmaker joins the race to bring …
Pfizer Covid pills highly effective at preventing deaths, trial suggests Read More »
India, Egypt and Cuba among first states to develop and make their own vaccines as Covax falls behind Developing countries are increasingly turning to homegrown Covid vaccinations as the UN-backed Covax programme falls behind. While western countries roll out booster jabs to their own populations, Covax, which was set up by UN agencies, governments and …
Local Covid vaccines fill gap as UN Covax scheme misses target Read More »
World Health Organization’s director general hails ‘historic day’ in fight against parasitic disease The World Health Organization has recommended the widespread rollout of the first malaria vaccine, in a move experts hope could save tens of thousands of children’s lives each year across Africa. Hailing “an historic day”, the WHO’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom …
WHO endorses use of world’s first malaria vaccine in Africa Read More »
After positive clinical trials for antiviral drug Molnupiravir, it joins other medicines that have shown promise Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The first clinical trial results showing a positive effect for a pill that can be taken at home has been hailed as a potential gamechanger that could provide a new …
Coronavirus treatments: the potential ‘game-changers’ in development Read More »
If approved, Merck’s drug would be first simple oral medication shown to be effective against coronavirus Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The first pill to treat coronavirus could be available within months after it was found to cut hospitalisations and deaths by half. If approved, the antiviral drug would be the …
Covid antiviral pill halves hospitalisations and deaths, maker says Read More »
Six companies warned not to put profit before lives as report shows less than 1% of almost 6bn doses have gone to low-income countries Amnesty International has accused six pharmaceutical companies that have developed Covid-19 vaccines of fuelling a global human rights crisis, citing their refusal to sufficiently waive intellectual property rights, share vaccine technology …
Big pharma fuelling human rights crisis over Covid vaccine inequity – Amnesty Read More »
England’s deputy medical chief asked for data to be withheld unless British vaccine guinea pigs allowed to travel abroad • Coronavirus – latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverage England’s deputy chief medical officer asked ministers to withhold all UK clinical trial data from the EU if European countries continued to deny entry to British …
Ministers told to bar EU from UK trial data in vaccines row Read More »
Government serves notice to terminate contract over allegations of a ‘breach of obligations’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK government is to pull out of a deal with the French pharmaceutical company Valneva to purchase its Covid-19 vaccination, the company has said. The move will come as a blow to …
UK cancels Covid vaccine deal with French firm Valneva Read More »
Company behind Pfizer vaccine expected to file results of trial of five- to 11-year-olds with regulator soon Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The German company BioNTech, which developed the Pfizer vaccine, expects to seek approval from regulators for Covid jabs suited for younger children as early as mid-October, its founders have …
BioNTech to seek approval for Covid jabs for younger children Read More »
Leaked supply document reveals clauses to protect US pharma company from legal action in the event of serious side-effects Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Pfizer has been accused of holding Brazil “to ransom” over demands to shield itself from possible vaccine side-effect lawsuits in its contract to supply the country with …
Pfizer accused of holding Brazil ‘to ransom’ over vaccine contract demands Read More »
Foreign materials including stainless steel identified in batches of Covid-19 vaccine though no safety or efficacy issues have been reported The Moderna coronavirus vaccine programme in Japan has been hit by a series of contamination incidents, prompting it to recall 1.63m doses found to contain metal fragments. Other potential contaminants have been identified in separate …
Japan’s Moderna Covid vaccine rollout hit by recall and contamination scares Read More »
Ronapreve can be used to treat symptoms of acute infection after successful clinical trials Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The medicines regulator has approved use of the first treatment in the UK using artificial antibodies to prevent and fight Covid-19. The health secretary, Sajid Javid, said approval of the first drug …
UK approves rollout of ‘first of its kind’ Covid antibody treatment Read More »
New analysis finds chemicals tested on animals in moisturisers, lipsticks, hair conditioner and sunscreen, despite ban Hundreds of cosmetic products sold in the UK and Europe contain ingredients that have been tested on animals, despite bans that outlawed such testing years ago, a new analysis has shown. Banned tests were performed on ingredients used in …
Hundreds of UK and EU cosmetics products contain ingredients tested on animals Read More »
Sales of BioNTech, Moderna and Pfizer drugs could rival $6bn-a-year market for flu vaccines, say analysts Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The drug companies Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are poised to make billions of dollars from Covid-19 booster jabs this autumn, with analysts estimating that sales could rival the $6bn-a-year market …
Drug firms poised to make billions of dollars from Covid booster jabs Read More »
Raised charges and Covax deals on order books of Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Two US companies, Pfizer and Moderna, have raised the prices of their Covid-19 vaccines after data from clinical trials showed their mRNA formula was more effective than cheaper vaccines from Britain’s AstraZeneca …
Covid-19 vaccines: the contracts, prices and profits Read More »
Advanz Pharma and former private equity owners were fined £100m by markets watchdog A pharmaceuticals firm that inflated thyroid drug prices by up to 6,000% over a decade paid out more than £400m to shareholders and directors during the same period. London-based Advanz Pharma – and its former private equity owners HgCapital and Cinven – …
Drug firm that hiked prices by 6,000% paid shareholders £400m Read More »
Not-for-profit pledge sees British firm’s sales revenue fall significantly short of US rival Pfizer Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has brought in $1.2bn (£900m) in the first half of this year, with sales tripling in the second quarter from the first – but its earnings remained significantly below …
AstraZeneca sales of Covid vaccine triple to $1.2bn in first half of 2021 Read More »
• Pharmaceutical company seeks FDA approval for third dose • Companies urged to instead prioritise less wealthy countries After a sharp increase in US Covid cases and amid fears of a surge of the Delta variant, Pfizer on Monday said it was seeking federal authorisation for third doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to be delivered …
Pfizer pushes for booster shots as WHO says greed is driving vaccine disparities Read More »
Exclusive: Exscientia to use AI in proposed fast-track development of ‘low-cost’ pill for Sars viruses Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Exscientia, an Oxford-based firm that uses artificial intelligence to develop medicines, has won a $1.5m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a Covid-19 treatment that also works …
Oxford drugs firm gains $1.5m Gates grant for Covid-19 therapy Read More »
Computer – the most powerful in Britain – will use AI to find new cures and deepen understanding of diseases The UK’s most powerful supercomputer, which its creators hope will make the process of preventing, diagnosing and treating disease better, faster and cheaper, is operational. Christened Cambridge-1, the supercomputer represents a $100m investment by US-based …
UK supercomputer Cambridge-1 to hunt for medical breakthroughs Read More »
Twenty years ago in South Africa people were dying unable to access expensive antiretrovirals. The creation of the Global Fund was gamechanging In 2001, at the age of 22 – when I thought my life had just begun – I was diagnosed with HIV. At that time, the diagnosis felt like a death sentence. Every …
Whether the pharmaceutical giant jumped or was pushed, its New York deal is a significant sign of the way the wind is blowing Johnson & Johnson said it had already jumped. New York’s attorney general suggested the pharmaceutical giant was pushed. Either way, the American drug maker is the first to formally agree to get …
‘Johnson & Johnson helped fuel this fire’ – now it’s out of the opioids business Read More »
Amid bemusement from scientists at the deluge of often undeserved criticism, the Guardian pieces together the story behind the vaccine’s successes and failures Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage In January 2020, when most of the world slept soundly in ignorance of the pandemic coming its way, a group of scientists at …
The Oxford vaccine: the trials and tribulations of a world-saving jab Read More »
Casual vaccine chat is today’s only form of small talk, so it’s not surprising it would take a lightheartedly tribal turn. Ultimately, of course, gratitude is at the heart of the conversation Last week, I had cause to go searching for images of men getting vaccinated (it’s not a fetish – it was for work) …
Moderna, Pfizer or AstraZeneca? The ridiculous, diverting rise of vaccine envy Read More »
We look at the drug firms – led by Pfizer and Moderna – that are set to profit most in an unprecedented global vaccination drive Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Drugmakers led by US firms Pfizer and Moderna stand to make tens of billions of dollars from their Covid-19 vaccines this …
Covid jabs for billions of humans will earn their makers billions of dollars Read More »
But Brussels court says AstraZeneca should earlier have used UK plants to fulfil EU deliveries Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU has failed in a legal attempt to secure an urgent 120m vaccine doses from AstraZeneca by the end of this month, while securing a judgment that sites in Oxford …
EU fails in court action to secure urgent 120m doses of Oxford Covid vaccine Read More »
But Brussels court says AstraZeneca should earlier have used UK plants to fulfil EU deliveries Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU has failed in a legal attempt to secure an urgent 120m vaccine doses from AstraZeneca by the end of this month, while securing a judgment that sites in Oxford …
EU fails in court action to secure urgent 120m doses of Oxford Covid vaccine Read More »
Exclusive: firm could charge more in places such as Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka once Covid pandemic is over Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca can charge a higher price for its Covid-19 vaccine in dozens of poor countries once the pharmaceutical company decides the pandemic has ended, according to a copy …
AstraZeneca vaccine price pledge omits some poor countries, contract shows Read More »
G7 summit hears move would slash the cost of jabs and accelerate the rollout of programmes across the developing world Britain and Germany were last night under intense pressure to drop their resistance to proposals that would slash the cost of Covid-19 vaccines, following accusations that an agreement at the G7 summit to fund a …
Country aims to vaccinate 70% of people this year but experts express doubts amid supply concerns Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Thailand has started its Covid vaccination campaign amid concerns over the supply of doses, which are mainly being produced locally by a royal-owned company that has no prior experience of …
Thailand starts Covid vaccine drive using jabs made by king’s firm Read More »
Imperial College London survey in 15 countries also reveals worries that vaccines had not been tested enough Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Most people who are reluctant to be vaccinated against Covid are worried about side-effects and whether the vaccines have been adequately tested, a survey in 15 countries has shown. …
Fears of side-effects fuel reluctance to get Covid jabs, survey finds Read More »
President says agreement with German firm BioNTech has been delayed after Beijing intervention Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Taiwan’s president has accused China of interfering in its vaccine acquisition programme, as the island continues to battle hundreds of daily new cases of Covid-19 with low supplies of vaccines. Taiwan has received …
Taiwan accuses China of interfering with Covid vaccine deals Read More »
Private equity firm Carlyle Group to buy company that is developing inhaled treatment for Covid-19 Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The British pharmaceutical company Vectura Group, which is developing a pioneering inhaled treatment for Covid-19, has agreed a £958m takeover by Carlyle Group as it looks set to become the latest …
UK pharmaceutical firm Ventura agrees to £958m takeover deal Read More »
Moderna becomes second manufacturer to announce successful trial results in younger people Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Mass vaccination of children against Covid-19 moved a step closer as Moderna became the second manufacturer to announce successful trial results, showing its vaccine can stop transmission in people aged 12 to 18. Pfizer/BioNTech’s …
Moderna jab stops Covid transmission in people aged 12 to 18, trial finds Read More »
Shadow trade secretary backs US call for patent waiver as party proposes plan to increase production in poorer countries Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Labour party is urging Boris Johnson to lead a drive by rich countries to boost global Covid-19 vaccine production and is warning the threat from new …
Labour says UK must ‘get off the fence’ over global Covid vaccine access Read More »
Efforts in Africa and elsewhere hit by decision not to export AstraZeneca jab from India until end of year Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Vaccine programmes across Africa and much of the developing world will suffer big delays after the world’s biggest producer said it would not be exporting the Oxford/AstraZeneca …
Poorer countries face long delays in receiving Covid vaccines Read More »
Announcement follows encouraging news from collaboration with French drugmaker Sanofi Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage GlaxoSmithKline has unveiled positive interim results from mid-stage trials of a Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with the Canadian biotech firm Medicago, a day after releasing strong data from its vaccine collaboration with the French drugmaker …
GSK and Medicago report positive Covid vaccine trial data Read More »
News will offer some some relief for GSK chief Emma Walmsley, who has been under pressure from investor GlaxoSmithKline is in the running to bring a new Covid-19 vaccine on to the market by the year end, thanks to positive results from early trials that will allow the formula to enter into late-stage studies within …
GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi report strong results in trials of Covid vaccine Read More »
County reports more than 400,000 new infections but experts suspect figures are gross underestimate Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Covid-19 deaths surged past 4,000 for the first time in India on Saturday in one of the world’s worst outbreaks. India reported a national record of 4,187 new deaths on Saturday. Continue …
India records almost 4,200 Covid deaths in a day Read More »
The US is now backing plans that could help billions more access vaccines. The UK should follow suit The rapid emergence of Covid vaccines has been a remarkable yet bittersweet success, pointing to both humanity’s scientific achievements and its social and economic failures. Experts created them at extraordinary speed; yet as the pandemic rages, many …
Shares in Chinese and US companies fell sharply following announcement to boost production Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Shares in pharmaceutical companies fell sharply after the US government threw its weight behind global plans for a patent waiver on Covid-19 vaccines to boost their production and distribution around the world. Shortly …
Pharmaceutical firms’ shares tumble after US plans patent waiver on Covid vaccines Read More »
Health commissioner says plan is to reduce hospitalisation and tackle long-term impact of Covid Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Three Covid medicines with the potential to “change the course” of the pandemic will be authorised for mass production and use in the EU by October under a European Commission plan. Stella …
EU wants to mass produce three ‘course-changing’ Covid drugs from October Read More »
Analysis: Joe Biden’s support for idea is vital but it won’t happen without backing of other rich nations Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage It was a “seismic decision” by Joe Biden, the US president, say campaigners who have fought for the demolition of patent protection on vaccines and drugs for decades. …
US support for Covid vaccine patent waivers puts pressure on EU and UK Read More »
Emmanuel Macron also supports US-backed proposal described as a gamechanger by WHO Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The head of the European commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said the bloc is “ready to discuss” a US-backed proposal for a waiver on the patents for Covid-19 vaccines and the French president, …
EU ‘ready to discuss’ waiver on Covid vaccine patents Read More »
Advisory groups ask shareholders to oppose bid to raise Pascal Soriot’s maximum share bonus to 650% of £1.3m basic pay AstraZeneca is facing mounting opposition over its plans to award its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, a big increase in bonuses, with two investor advisory groups calling on shareholders to vote against the policy. Glass Lewis …
‘Obscene’ bonus hike for AstraZeneca boss prompts investor anger Read More »
Vaccine will generate 73% more than forecast based on contracts signed until mid-April Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage US drugmaker Pfizer expects to make $26bn (£19bn) in revenues from sales of its Covid-19 vaccine this year, with its soaraway product accounting for more than a third of the company’s annual income. …
Pfizer forecasts $26bn from annual sales of Covid-19 vaccine Read More »
Quarterly results from Anglo-Swedish producer of Covid vaccine show better-than-expected 15% rise Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca has generated $275m (£197m) in revenues from its Covid vaccine in the first three months of the year and shipped 48m doses to 120 countries through the global vaccine-sharing initiative Covax. Most of …
AstraZeneca revenues up as it delivers jab to 120 countries via Covax Read More »
Firm says it will ‘strongly defend itself’ against claim it breached agreement to supply Covid jab Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca said it would “strongly defend itself in court” and highlighted its supply of 50m Covid vaccine doses to European countries as Brussels launched legal action against the pharmaceutical company …
EU starts legal action against AstraZeneca over vaccine shortfalls Read More »
Only a fifth of doses expected by May delivered as export bans, hoarding and supply shortages bite Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The global vaccine-sharing initiative Covax has so far delivered about one in five of the Oxford/AstraZeneca doses it estimated would arrive in countries by May, according to a Guardian …
Revealed: big shortfall in Covax Covid vaccine-sharing scheme Read More »
Analysis rebuts claim by Boris Johnson that jab was developed ‘because of greed’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage At least 97% of the funding for the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been identified as coming from taxpayers or charitable trusts, according to the first attempt to reconstruct who paid …
Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine research ‘was 97% publicly funded’ Read More »
New strains such as the South African variant that’s emerged in south London will require constant vigilance as lockdown eases All viruses mutate. They do this to adapt and survive better in their specific host. The virus that causes Covid-19 is no different: it has moved from the animal realm, where it most likely originated …
Will Covid vaccines protect us against new variants? | Julian Tang Read More »
Company has said it is postponing deployment in Europe following concerns about blood clots in US Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The European commission is seeking “urgent clarification” from Johnson & Johnson after the company’s “completely unexpected” announcement that it has decided to delay the deployment of its coronavirus vaccine across …
EU seeking ‘urgent clarification’ on Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine delay Read More »
Fear of third wave and new variants as sub-Saharan vaccine distribution is dogged by supply disruption Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Millions of healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa continue to risk their lives to fight Covid-19 as authorities across the continent struggle to obtain and distribute vaccines to frontline medical staff. …
African health workers left without Covid jabs as paltry supplies dwindle Read More »
Pharmaceutical firms warn of delays to items such as the large bags in which vaccine cells are grown Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Vaccine-makers around the world face shortages of vital components including large plastic growbags, according to the head of the firm that is manufacturing a quarter of the UK’s …
Global Covid vaccine rollout threatened by shortage of vital components Read More »
EMA says four serious cases reported, one fatal, and also expands inquiry into AstraZeneca vaccine Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU’s drug regulator is reviewing reports of rare blood clots in four people who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine and has expanded its inquiry into AstraZeneca’s shot to include …
EU agency examines reports of blood clots with J&J Covid vaccine Read More »
Downing Street will not confirm or deny report that more than 700,000 Covid jabs were sent after EU blocked export Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage British ministers and officials did not deny that more than 700,000 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine were secretly dispatched from the UK to Australia a few …
UK ministers silent on AstraZeneca vaccine shipment to Australia Read More »
Anglo-Swedish company ‘solely’ to blame, says EU commissioner as bloc misses April vaccination target AstraZeneca has been squarely blamed by the EU for its comparatively slow Covid vaccine rollout after the bloc of 27 states failed to achieve its target to vaccinate 80% of older people by the end of March. Thierry Breton, the EU …
EU blames AstraZeneca ‘failure’ for sluggish Covid vaccine rollout Read More »
Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Authority was considering restricting vaccine amid concerns over rare blood clots Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK’s medicines regulatory body has said that no decision has been made on any regulatory action relating to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine following reports it is considering restricting use of the …
Medicines watchdog says no decision made AstraZeneca jab for under-30s Read More »
This is what happens when a third of humanity depends on one manufacturer for Covid jabs. We need to waive patents now As the UK’s vaccination programme was “knocked off course” due to a delay in receiving five million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India, a far more chilling reality was unfolding: about a …
Findings based on two doses three weeks apart are first to show shot remains effective for many months Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech protects against symptomatic Covid for up to six months, an updated analysis of clinical trial data has …
Pfizer vaccine has 91% efficacy for up to six months, trial shows Read More »
Drug firm in partnership with BioNTech to seek US approval after trials found vaccine ‘well-tolerated’ in school-age children Pfizer plans to seek emergency approval for its Covid vaccine in younger people after a US trial found the jab prevented the disease and was “well-tolerated” in 12- to 15-year-olds. Related: Germany restricts use of AstraZeneca jab …
Pfizer finds Covid vaccine safe and effective for children 12 to 15 Read More »
Immunisation panel says there is ‘substantial uncertainty about the benefit’ of the vaccine given risk of rare type of blood clot See all our coronavirus coverage Canada on Monday suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under 55 following concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots. The pause was recommended …
Canada suspends use of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for those under 55 Read More »
The company has struggled, like its rivals, to keep up with demand. But it has achieved great things at low prices AstraZeneca is one of the shining stars of the pandemic. Not only did it produce a vaccine where other big players failed, the UK-Swedish company has pledged to sell it at cost until it …
Safe, stable, sold at cost: AstraZeneca’s vaccine deserves celebration, not scorn Read More »
Serum Institute boss Adar Poonawalla has rented a Mayfair mansion for £50,000 a week Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The AstraZeneca vaccine has made Prof Sarah Gilbert – who led the Oxford team that created it – one of the UK’s most famous modern scientists and turned the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company …
‘Vaccine prince’: the Indian billionaire set to make Covid jabs for the UK Read More »
Batches were found when Italian police searched factory at request of European commission Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca has dismissed as “inaccurate” a report in the Italian press that 29m doses of its Covid-19 vaccine found in factory near Rome were destined for the UK. La Stampa reported on Wednesday …
AstraZeneca dismisses claim 29m vaccine doses in Italy were bound for UK Read More »
Bloc expected to assess countries’ Covid vaccination coverage and record in facilitating exports to EU Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU is expected to take into account the level of vaccination coverage in a country and its record in facilitating exports to the bloc when deciding on whether to prohibit …
EU to widen criteria for possible Covid vaccine export bans Read More »
Drug firm may have provided incomplete view of efficacy data from US trial, says safety monitor Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid has been dealt another blow within hours of AstraZeneca posting excellent results from its long-awaited big trial in the US. Questions have been raised in …
US agency questions AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine trial data Read More »
PM stresses need to work with EU and says surge in infections is likely to ‘wash up on our shores’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Boris Johnson has urged international cooperation over vaccines, saying a third wave of coronavirus elsewhere in Europe would inevitably affect the UK. The prime minister’s remarks …
Boris Johnson: vaccine cooperation vital to help combat third Covid wave Read More »
After a week of bans, U-turns and warnings of supply shortfalls, public confidence in vaccination has been dented. Can Britain get back on the fast track out of lockdown? Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage For Stacey Harris, the hardest part of organising vaccinations over the last couple of months has been …
Vaccine wars: the week that rocked the UK’s Covid jab rollout Read More »
Three Scandinavian countries reserve judgment one day after EMA says shot is safe and effective Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage France has said only people aged 55 and over should receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, and three Scandinavian countries have reserved judgment until next week, a day after Europe’s health regulator …
France limits AstraZeneca Covid jab to over-55s as Europe treads cautiously Read More »
Three Scandinavian countries reserve judgment one day after EMA says shot is safe and effective Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage France has said only people aged 55 and over should receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, and three Scandinavian countries have reserved judgment until next week, a day after Europe’s health regulator …
France limits AstraZeneca Covid jab to over-55s as Europe treads cautiously Read More »
Pooling the European Covid vaccine effort was a noble idea. In practice, it has been a disaster In the race between vaccines and new Covid-19 variants, I am on the losing team. There is a simple reason for this, and it is because I live in the European Union – in my case, in Spain. …
The EU’s AstraZeneca vaccine stance will cost lives, here in Spain and all over Europe Read More »
Pooling the European Covid vaccine effort was a noble idea. In practice, it has been a disaster In the race between vaccines and new Covid-19 variants, I am on the losing team. There is a simple reason for this, and it is because I live in the European Union – in my case, in Spain. …
The EU’s AstraZeneca vaccine stance will cost lives, here in Spain and all over Europe Read More »
The newness of some of the technology and gaps in global preparedness have led to bottlenecks Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage When the first Covid-19 vaccines were approved in the UK and elsewhere three months ago, many thought the end of the pandemic was almost within reach. Few, however, had anticipated …
How are Covid vaccines produced and why have there been delays? Read More »
The newness of some of the technology and gaps in global preparedness have led to bottlenecks Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage When the first Covid-19 vaccines were approved in the UK and elsewhere three months ago, many thought the end of the pandemic was almost within reach. Few, however, had anticipated …
How are Covid vaccines produced and why have there been delays? Read More »
EMA says benefits outweigh risks but it is continuing to study possible link with very rare blood clotting disorder Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Italy, France, Germany and several other countries will resume administering AstraZeneca jabs from Friday after Europe’s medicines regulator said the vaccine was “safe and effective” and its …
European countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after safety backing Read More »
EMA says benefits outweigh risks but it is continuing to study possible link with very rare blood clotting disorder Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Italy, France, Germany and several other countries will resume administering AstraZeneca jabs from Friday after Europe’s medicines regulator said the vaccine was “safe and effective” and its …
European countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after safety backing Read More »
Bloc hopes to resolve row as it emerges big member states back threat to halt jab exports Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU is to send a formal letter to AstraZeneca in an attempt to resolve its dispute over vaccine supplies, a spokesperson has said, as it emerged that capitals …
EU to send formal letter to AstraZeneca in Covid vaccine dispute Read More »
Bloc hopes to resolve row as it emerges big member states back threat to halt jab exports Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU is to send a formal letter to AstraZeneca in an attempt to resolve its dispute over vaccine supplies, a spokesperson has said, as it emerged that capitals …
EU to send formal letter to AstraZeneca in Covid vaccine dispute Read More »
Parents whose only hope was finding foreign sponsorship or a clinical trial are now looking for homegrown breakthroughs For three years, Vidya tried to find the cause of her son’s recurrent fevers and low cognitive development. When she found out, she was devastated. Vineeth, 10, has an incurable illness – mucopolysaccharidosis type 2 – that …
What price a child’s life? India’s quest to make rare disease drugs affordable Read More »
Deployment of Oxford vaccine temporarily deferred after latest reports from Norway Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Ireland is suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid as a precautionary measure following further reports of blood clots in people who have received it, this time from Norway. The deputy chief medical officer, …
Ireland suspends AstraZeneca Covid vaccine over blood clot concerns Read More »
Jab has 97% efficacy against disease and death and 94% against infection without symptoms The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine appears to give high protection against asymptomatic Covid-19, according to data from Israel – a finding that will boost hopes that mass vaccination can stop the spread of the virus. The top line of the real-world results, issued …
Israeli real-world data on Pfizer vaccine shows high Covid protection Read More »
Health agency suspends use of Covid jab but says no conclusive link has been established Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Denmark’s national health agency has said it is temporarily suspending inoculations with the AstraZeneca vaccine after blood clots formed in several people who had the jab, one of whom has reportedly …
Denmark pauses use of AstraZeneca vaccine to investigate blood clot reports Read More »
The scientific community are rising to the challenge, undertaking an unprecedented global health programme Pascal Soriot is the chief executive officer of AstraZeneca Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Covid-19 is a virus that knows no boundaries and has inflicted terrible suffering across the world. Now more than ever, we must remember …
The companies in line for the biggest gains – and the shareholders who have already made fortunes Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The arrival of Covid-19 vaccines promises a return to more normal life – and has created a global market worth tens of billions of dollars in annual sales for …
From Pfizer to Moderna: who’s making billions from Covid vaccines? Read More »
Italian government said the 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine must be kept in EU Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Australia has asked for a review of Italy’s decision to block the export of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to its shores. In the first such intervention under the EU’s controversial …
Australia requests review of Italy’s block of vaccine export Read More »
Row continues between EU and drug firm after shortfall in vaccine deliveries to bloc Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Italy has blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia in an escalation of a row with the Anglo-Swedish company. In the first such intervention under the EU’s …
Italy blocks export of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Australia Read More »
Both countries urged to take action to avoid pile-up of unused AstraZeneca vaccine doses Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Authorities in Germany and France are under pressure to come up with creative solutions to shift the AstraZeneca vaccine at higher speed in order to avoid a pile-up of unused doses over …
Covid: Germany and France under pressure to shift Oxford vaccine Read More »
Healthcare workers with obesity found to produce only about half the antibodies healthy people do Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity, data suggests. Italian researchers have discovered that healthcare workers with obesity produced only about half the amount of antibodies in …
Pfizer vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity, says study Read More »
Healthcare regulator says it will update recommendations ‘very soon’ in wake of row over jab’s effectiveness in older candidates Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Germany could soon authorise the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for seniors after the head of the country’s vaccination committee said his body’s advice to give the …
Germany signals AstraZeneca vaccine may be approved for over-65s Read More »
Former prime minister tells the Guardian the world must be better prepared for the next pandemic World leaders could have cut the length of the Covid outbreak by three months if they had collaborated on vaccines, testing and drugs, Tony Blair has claimed as he launched a report on preparing for the next deadly pandemic. …
Blair says collaboration on Covid could have cut three months off crisis Read More »
Therapeutic Goods Administration may follow US in allowing vaccines to be stored at warmer temperatures Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine could soon be delivered at temperatures 50 degrees warmer than currently required if Australia follows the US’s lead to ease the rollout. The potential change in storage temperature requirements is being considered as the federal health department …
Australia considers approving Pfizer Covid vaccine for standard cold storage Read More »
Better than expected revenues will push US firm founded in 2010 into profit for first time Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Moderna expects to rake in $18.4bn (£13bn) of sales from its coronavirus vaccine this year, marking a huge turnaround in the fortunes of the US biotech firm. The expected revenue …
Moderna forecasts $18bn in sales of Covid vaccine this year Read More »
Expected shortfall of 90m doses could hit the EU’s ability to meet its target of vaccinating 70% of adults by summer Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca has told the European Union it expects to deliver less than half the Covid-19 vaccines it was contracted to supply in the second quarter, …
Oxford Covid vaccine described in German media as ‘shelf warmer’ with only 17% of doses administered so far Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Politicians in Germany are stepping out in support of the AstraZeneca vaccine as public scepticism around the Oxford-developed product is threatening to hamper Europe’s Covid-19 immunisation programme. The …
German politicians counter AstraZeneca vaccine scepticism with show of support Read More »
Pressure mounts for patent waivers to allow poorer countries to develop their own manufacturing capacity to boost availability The domination of global medicine by major pharmaceutical companies needs to be confronted to provide fairer access to vaccines, a leading South African official has said. The scramble over Covid vaccines should alert rich countries to the …
South Africa leads backlash against big pharma over access to Covid vaccines Read More »
A year ago, two scientists began work on the response to a new virus. Now, as their vaccine is being given to millions, they tell of their incredible 12 months Exactly a year ago, Oxford University scientists launched a joint enterprise that is set to have a profound impact on the health of our planet. …
Life savers: the amazing story of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine Read More »
From doubts about safety in older people to questions about variants, scientists have faced a battle to convince the public and regulators Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid has barely been out of the news from the moment the race to protect the world’s population from …
A series of knocks: Oxford/AstraZeneca’s bumpy road to Covid vaccine confidence Read More »
Small-scale trial of vaccine’s efficacy shows it offers very little protection against mild to moderate infection Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers as little as 10% protection against the Covid variant first seen in South Africa, researchers have suggested. Scientists who conducted a small-scale trial of the vaccine’s …
Oxford Covid vaccine 10% effective against South African variant, study suggests Read More »
New analysis runs counter to earlier study which suggested one dose may not give adequate protection Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage One dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine gives people about 90% protection from Covid by 21 days, according to an analysis of Israel’s mass vaccination programme. The data analysis, carried out …
One Pfizer/BioNTech jab gives ‘90% immunity’ from Covid after 21 days Read More »
The Amazon founder gains time for other projects, such as space and newspapers, while still making the big decisions Jeff Bezos is stepping aside at Amazon – sort of. In fact, he is merely dropping one of his three job titles at thee online retailer. He will no longer be chief executive but will still …
Bezos is handing over fronting Amazon, but not his grip on his creation | Nils Pratley Read More »
Companies hope to have next generation of vaccines against emerging variants by next year GlaxoSmithKline and Germany’s CureVac have reached a €150m (£132m) agreement to develop a next generation of Covid-19 vaccines targeting new emerging variants in the pandemic. The two companies said they they plan to work jointly to develop a vaccine that can …
GSK and CureVac sign £132m deal to develop multi-variant Covid vaccine Read More »
Analysis: death rates in intensive care are falling as doctors identify more ways to help those with the disease Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Vaccines may have been described as the great escape route from the Covid pandemic – but treatments, which are bringing down death rates, will be needed as …
Even with vaccines, we still need treatments for Covid. So what works? Read More »
Warning of ‘legal commitment’ and concern that doses might have been diverted from the EU to the UK Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage France and Germany have threatened legal action against the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in the row over a shortage of coronavirus vaccine in the EU. Talks between the …
France and Germany threaten AstraZeneca over vaccine shortage Read More »
People are dying as AstraZeneca and the EU clash •You can buy your own copy of this cartoon Continue reading…
Everything you need to know about the trial results for a new coronavirus vaccine Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage In an interim analysis of a phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the UK, the vaccine has been shown to be nearly 89% effective, with 27% of participants in the trial – …
How effective is the Novavax Covid vaccine and will it work against variants? Read More »
Everything you need to know about the trial results for a new coronavirus vaccine Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage In an interim analysis of a phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the UK, the vaccine has been shown to be nearly 89% effective, with 27% of participants in the trial – …
How effective is the Novavax Covid vaccine and will it work against variants? Read More »
European commission says new mechanism will give national regulators power to refuse exports Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Millions of doses of vaccines could be blocked from entering Britain from the EU within days, as part of Brussels’ response to a shortage of doses among its member states. The European commission …
EU could block millions of Covid vaccine doses from entering UK Read More »
The retailer has gone from $19 to $33o thanks in part to amateurs taking on the hedge funds If you find trading bitcoin insufficiently hair-raising, try GameStop. It is the Texas-based video games retailer that will be hard to out-do as the stock market story of 2021. The share price was $19 at the start …
Slowness to sign up to and approve the vaccine may have caused delays, but Brussels feels the company is being less than cooperative Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Last year AstraZeneca was heralded for its pioneering vaccine discovery. Yet today the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company is embroiled in a dispute with the …
The EU’s vaccine bust-up with AstraZeneca is of its own making | Leo Cendrowicz Read More »
Latest round of crunch talks to discuss breakdown in supplies still happening, says spokesman Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A row over coronavirus vaccine shortages in the EU has descended into farce as AstraZeneca denied claims by the European commission that it had pulled out of a crunch meeting over a …
AstraZeneca denies pulling out of talks as EU Covid vaccine row deepens Read More »
Commission president says firms must deliver on orders after AstraZeneca warns of shortfall Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU “means business”, Ursula von der Leyen has said, as the bloc doubled down on plans for tighter monitoring of vaccine exports to countries outside of the union, such as the UK. …
EU means business over Covid vaccine exports, says Von der Leyen Read More »
Ten of the world’s most infectious diseases identified by the WHO not being catered for by drug firms The world’s biggest pharmaceutical firms are little prepared for the next pandemic despite a mounting response to the Covid-19 outbreak, an independent report has warned. Jayasree K Iyer, executive director of the Netherlands-based Access to Medicine Foundation, …
Pharmaceutical giants not ready for next pandemic, report warns Read More »
Newspaper had reported that government was expecting European regulator’s assessment to show that vaccine was only 8% effective among over-65 The German government has challenged reports of a lower-than-expected efficacy rate of the AstraZeneca vaccine for older people, while reiterating concerns about the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant’s data reporting. An article in German business daily Handelsblatt …
German government challenges AstraZeneca Covid vaccine efficacy reports Read More »
Country will be first in EU to use antibody cocktails after government buys 200,000 doses Specialist clinics in Germany will this week become the first hospitals in the EU to treat Covid-19 patients with expensive and experimental antibody cocktails used to treat the former US president Donald Trump after he caught the virus last October. …
Germany to administer Covid drugs used to treat Donald Trump Read More »
Exactly a year after his first story about coronavirus, our science editor received the Pfizer injection last week. Here he reflects on a remarkable scientific achievement Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage I marked a grim anniversary in an unexpected manner last week. On 18 January last year, I wrote my first …
I’ve had my first vaccine jab. It gives me hope of liberation… but not yet Read More »
Medics told they risk undermining public confidence by querying policy of three-month gap between doses Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Leading vaccine experts have backed the government’s decision to delay the second dose for up to three months, after doctors warned that the strategy was proving “ever-more difficult to justify”. The …
Vaccine experts defend UK decision to delay second Pfizer Covid jab Read More »
Nations outbidding each other creates an ‘immoral race towards the abyss’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Pharmaceutical companies should do more to transfer vaccine technology to prevent the poorest countries falling behind in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, according to an expert. The warning came from Dag-Inge Ulstein, the co-chair of …
World’s poor need action, not Covid ‘vaccine nationalism’, say experts Read More »
Exclusive: ‘pool’ to share Covid-19 information has received no contributions since May 2020 Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A World Health Organization program for pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily share Covid-19 related knowledge, treatments and technology so they can be more widely distributed has attracted zero contributions in the eight months since …
WHO platform for pharmaceutical firms unused since pandemic began Read More »
Health ministry quotes says premium is because government did not pay into research and development effort Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage South Africa will have to buy doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine at a price nearly 2.5 times higher than most European countries, the country’s health ministry has said. The African …
South Africa paying more than double EU price for Oxford vaccine Read More »
Surge in infections dampens optimism over country’s advanced immunisation programme Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Israel’s coronavirus tsar has warned that a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine may be providing less protection than originally hoped, as the country reported a record 10,000 new Covid infections on Monday. In remarks reported …
Single Covid vaccine dose in Israel ‘less effective than we hoped’ Read More »
Supply delays underline there was no legal or economic justification for central planning A storm is raging over the EU’s failure to have ordered more of the approved Covid-19 vaccines ahead of time. Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of the US pharmaceutical company Moderna, which gained approval for its vaccine shortly after Pfizer/BioNTech, claims that the …
EU’s Covid vaccination debacle is down to institutional inflexibility Read More »
Bloc agrees deal for a further 300m doses as hopes are raised for speedier rate of inoculations Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage EU leaders are to hold a pandemic video summit on 21 January after the bloc said it had reached a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300m more doses …
EU plans video summit after doubling supply of Pfizer Covid vaccine Read More »
The dire state of UK manufacturing has left us dependent on other nations. We may soon find out why some call this a ‘national security risk’ Everything now hinges on a vaccine: how many more Britons die, whether the NHS finally breaks, how long the UK stays locked down. All depends on how fast the …
US experts warn against plan to give different second jab if supplies run low Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK is setting the pace around the world in the approval and use of Covid vaccines but, while other countries watch intently, not all are yet prepared to embrace what looks …
Analysis: is it wise for England to mix and match Covid vaccines? Read More »
Fall or rise in coronavirus cases will not initially be a good measure of efficacy, say scientists devising ways to audit progress Why is Britain delaying second doses of vaccine? Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage People in Britain are set to get their first shots of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday, …
The Oxford Covid jab is delivered this week. But when will vaccines bring results? Read More »
Firm races to fill potential gap left by bloc’s gamble on several vaccines being approved Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage BioNtech has criticised the EU’s failure to order more doses of its coronavirus vaccine, saying it is now racing with its US partner Pfizer to boost production amid fears of a …
BioNTech criticises EU failure to order enough Covid vaccine Read More »
Analysis: From retail to aviation to pharmaceuticals, we look at what will change from 1 January After months of tortuous negotiations between the UK and the EU, a Brexit trade deal was agreed at almost the last minute. But how prepared are UK businesses for the significant changes that will come into force on 1 …
Sector by sector: are British firms ready for post-Brexit trade? Read More »
From worst crash in a generation to record highs on news of a Covid vaccine, experts review the rollercoaster that was 2020 Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage 2020 has been the most remarkable year for the global financial markets. After the Covid-19 pandemic triggered the worst crash in a generation, unprecedented …
‘I’ve never seen anything like it’: 2020 smashes records in global markets Read More »
Treatment grown on tobacco plants gets US backing for clinical study Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage British American Tobacco has moved a step closer to producing a vaccine for coronavirus using tobacco plants, as it won approval in the US to begin testing on humans. The company behind cigarette brands including …
British American Tobacco wins approval to test Covid vaccine on humans Read More »
Risk assessment documents say cost, delays and shortages could lead to billions not vaccinated until 2024 Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The global scheme to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries faces a “very high” risk of failure, potentially leaving billions of people with no access to vaccines until as late …
Scheme to get Covid vaccine to poorer countries at ‘high risk’ of failure Read More »
Dashing ahead with a nuclear power station that’s modelled on Hinkley Point C would be reckless This is the government’s problem as it reopens talks on a proposed nuclear power station at Sizewell C in Suffolk: it is contemplating ordering a replica of Hinkley Point C before the Somerset original has produced a single megawatt …
Ministers would be wise to play for time before ordering Sizewell C | Nils Pratley Read More »
Trials reveal vaccine failed to produce a strong immune response in older people Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A coronavirus vaccine being developed by GlaxoSmithKline and its French partner, Sanofi, will be delayed until the end of next year after trials revealed it failed to produce a strong immune response in …
GSK/Sanofi Covid vaccine delayed until end of next year Read More »
The challenge of delivering vaccines on this scale are hard, but are firmly within the world of logistics, engineering, and politics Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK has become the first country to approve one of the coronavirus vaccines that the entire world has been desperately waiting for. And on …
Can the UK deliver on the Covid vaccine rollout? | Stephen Buranyi Read More »
Papers relating to Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reportedly targeted in attack on European Medicines Agency German biotech firm BioNTech said on Wednesday that regulation documents related to the Covid-19 vaccine it has developed with Pfizer were “unlawfully accessed” after a cyber-attack on Europe’s medicines regulator. Earlier, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) – which is responsible for assessing …
Hackers accessed vaccine documents in cyber-attack on EMA Read More »
Vaccine developed in Oxford criticised by FDA with efficacy rates and trials delaying official take-up Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage For a man presenting landmark results from trials of a vaccine that it is hoped will save the world from a devastating pandemic, Sir Menelas Pangalos did not look cheerful on …
Covid vaccines: US regulator sceptical over AstraZeneca model Read More »
Anyone scheduled to receive vaccine will be asked about history of allergic reactions Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Regulators have issued a warning that people who have a history of “significant” allergic reactions should not currently receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after two people who had the jab on Tuesday had …
Billions unlikely to get jabs as rich countries secure 53% of most promising vaccines Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Nine out of 10 people in 70 low-income countries are unlikely to be vaccinated against Covid-19 next year because the majority of the most promising vaccines coming on-stream have been bought up …
Nine out of 10 in poor nations to miss out on inoculation as west buys up Covid vaccines Read More »
Medical director warns of great hurdles in largest vaccination campaign in UK history Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Batches of the Covid vaccine have begun to arrive in hospitals around the UK, ready for the first jabs on Tuesday in what NHS England’s medical director warned would be the largest and …
Covid vaccine arrives in UK hospitals ready for first jabs Read More »
Vaccine safety message ‘vitally important’, head of medicines regulator tells Andrew Marr Show Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Public health messaging that people can have faith in the safety of coronavirus vaccines is “vitally important”, the leader of the body that has approved the Pfizer jab has said. Dr June Raine, …
Covid-19 vaccine ‘very safe and highly effective’, UK health chief says Read More »
We trace the extraordinary research effort, from the discovery of the virus’s structure to the start of inoculations this week Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage In the early afternoon of 3 January this year, a small metal box was delivered to the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre addressed to virus expert …
The vaccine miracle: how scientists waged the battle against Covid-19 Read More »
Covid vaccine with an efficacy of almost 95% has been authorised by the UK medicines regulator Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine, which has an efficacy of almost 95%, has been authorised by the UK medicines regulator, making the UK the first western country to license a vaccine …
How does the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine work and who will get it? Read More »
Oxford/AstraZeneca planning new trial of lower-dose jab to see how well it works in older people Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Concerns around the efficacy of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus jab in older people could lead to different age groups being given different vaccines, experts have said. The partners announced last …
Different age groups may get different Covid vaccines, experts say Read More »
The hunt for a coronavirus vaccine is showing promise but it is premature to say the end of the pandemic is nigh. Several rich countries have signed a ‘frenzy of deals’ that could prevent many poor nations from getting access to immunisation until at least 2024. Also, many drug firms are potentially refusing to waive patents and other intellectual property rights …
Will everyone in the world have access to a Covid vaccine? – video explainer Read More »
Do not demonise. To optimise the vaccine rollout, all of us must show respect to those who are unsure about inoculations Will Hanmer-Lloyd is a behavioural strategist The Covid-19 vaccines, which are up to 95% effective, have the potential to save millions of lives in the UK and many more around the world. Yet creating …
Here’s how to tackle the Covid-19 anti-vaxxers | Will Hanmer-Lloyd Read More »
Trial participants react to news that Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has up to 90% efficacy Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Dan McAteer describes his reaction more as a sense of relief than elation when his phone pinged on Monday morning with a push alert reporting that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has …
‘It’s a great day’: Oxford coronavirus vaccine volunteers on trial data Read More »
Jab can be kept in fridge and is part of global initiative to distribute doses at limited cost Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The efficacy of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine opens the way for a cheap and more easily transportable vaccine to be made available to some of the world’s poorest …
Oxford AstraZeneca results open up Covid vaccine to developing countries Read More »
Plans for mass immunisation against Covid-19 are developing fast, but concerns must be addressed In the 1960s, academics studying rumours drew inspiration from epidemiology. They noted how such stories spread through communities, “infecting” some individuals while others seemed immune, and how more resistant populations could stop their spread. Their insights have in turn been taken …
The Guardian view on coronavirus and vaccine scepticism: time to act | Editorial Read More »
No one knew whether mRNA technology would work against this virus – but it does. It’s an extraordinary moment for science Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The past few months have brought a number of scientific terms to public attention. We’ve had to digest R (a virus’s reproduction number) and PCR …
Do mRNA vaccines for Covid signal a new era in disease prevention? | Adam Finn Read More »
Request will be made at WTO meeting in order to allow mass production of treatments Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK will be asked to reconsider its opposition to waiving intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments at a World Trade Organization meeting on Friday, a move that would …
UK faces calls to drop opposition to patent-free Covid vaccines Read More »
Among first 170 Covid cases in trial, eight had received vaccine and 162 were in placebo group Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 performs even better than previously thought, with 95% efficacy, equalling the early results from Moderna on Monday, according to an analysis of the final …
Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has 95% efficacy and is safe, further analysis shows Read More »
Phase 3 success rate of 95% for US firm’s treatment is promising for UK vaccine trial Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Hopes are rising for the Covid jab being developed by Oxford University, after Moderna became the second company to reveal impressive results from its vaccine trials. Interim results from phase …
Moderna vaccine’s effectiveness bodes well for Oxford/AstraZeneca jab Read More »
To make vaccination work, we must reach out to the naturally cautious – a bigger proportion than you might assume Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Lydia Guthrie is not very daring by nature. A psychotherapist and mother of two from Oxford, she couldn’t be persuaded into bungee jumping for all the …
US-based biotech firm is latest to reveal impressive results from phase 3 trials of jab Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The race for a coronavirus vaccine has received another shot in the arm with the US biotech firm Moderna becoming the latest to reveal impressive results from phase 3 trials of …
Moderna Covid vaccine candidate almost 95% effective, trials show Read More »
Uğur Şahin ‘very confident’ vaccine candidate developed with Pfizer will cause big reduction in cases Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The scientist behind the first potential Covid-19 vaccine to clear interim clinical trials says he is “very confident” the jab will reduce transmission of the disease, perhaps by 50%, resulting in …
BioNTech vaccine scientist says jab could halve Covid transmission Read More »
Better to build social solidarity than to dismiss reluctance to be immunised as ignorance Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage “If a strain as deadly as the 1918 influenza emerges and people’s hesitancy to get vaccinated remains at the level it is today, a debilitating and fatal disease will spread.” So wrote …
Vaccination hesitancy is about lack of trust. Compulsion is not the answer | Kenan Malik Read More »
Exclusive: BioNTech’s CEO Uğur Şahin says he is confident vaccine can ‘bash the virus over the head’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The scientist behind the first Covid-19 vaccine to clear interim clinical trials says he is confident his product can “bash the virus over the head” and put an end …
Scientist behind BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine says it can end pandemic Read More »
Despite the Pfizer breakthrough, social distancing and remote working won’t disappear overnight Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The news this week that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine protected more than 90% of recipients is of huge importance. The vaccine efficacy is higher than we had hoped for. There appear to be no safety …
Why a Covid vaccine doesn’t mean the end of face masks yet | David Salisbury Read More »
The lion’s share of the potential Pfizer vaccine is already claimed by high-income nations The news that joint efforts by the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNtech have produced a vaccine that is 90% effective at protecting people from Covid-19 has been understandably applauded – in spite of the caveats. Pfizer …
Pfizer said sale of shares by Albert Bourla was automated under plan set up in August Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Pfizer’s chief executive sold shares in the company worth $5.6m (£4.2m) on the day the drugmaker announced that its Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective in protecting people from …
Pfizer chief sold $5.6m of shares on day Covid vaccine was announced Read More »
Roll-Royce gave an eye-catching pitch but the economics of nuclear power needs further inspection An energy white paper is in the offing, so consider Rolls-Royce’s pitch for the wonders of small modular reactors (SMRs) a piece of last-minute lobbying. After all, it is clear already that more nuclear, in combination with more offshore wind capacity, …
Mini-nuclear plants may be an experiment worth exploring Read More »
Promising clinical data from Pfizer and BioNTech help the index to a £28bn one-day gain Optimism that a mass rollout of Covid-19 vaccines will lead to an economic recovery lifted stocks in London again on Tuesday, to their highest closing level in over four months. London’s FTSE 100 index of blue-chip shares rallied by nearly …
FTSE 100 recovers to highest level since June after vaccine unveiled Read More »
Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca pledged to make their vaccines available on a not-for-profit basis Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The US drugmaker Pfizer and the German biotech firm BioNTech stand to bring in nearly $13bn (£9.8bn) in global sales from their coronavirus vaccine next year, which will be evenly split …
Pfizer and BioNTech could make $13bn from coronavirus vaccine Read More »
Europe and US create vast facilities for Covid-19 vaccine but poorer nations lack infrastructure say experts Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Two vast football-pitch-sized facilities equipped with hundreds of large freezers in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Puurs, Belgium, will be the centres of the huge effort to ship the coronavirus vaccine developed …
Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine poses global logistics challenge Read More »
Readers respond to news that an interim analysis has shown Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine candidate was 90% effective in protecting people from transmission of the virus in global trials The media have been awash with stories about the apparent success of the Pfizer Covid vaccine following the publication of preliminary trial outcomes (Hopes rise for end of …
Cautious optimism over Covid-19 vaccine trials | Letters Read More »
But the news highlighted divergences in fortunes across sectors during the pandemic Global stock markets surge after Pfizer Covid vaccine news Nils Pratley: ‘A great day for humanity’ – and not bad for markets The FTSE 100 posted its biggest one-day gain since March on Monday after the drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech said their …
Global markets: winners and losers as Covid vaccine hopes send shares surging Read More »
Interim trial results are encouraging as scientists welcome news Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage It is not yet the end of the pandemic, but the announcement by Pfizer/BioNTech that their vaccine has been 90% successful in the vital large-scale trials has got even the soberest of scientists excited. These are interim …
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine announcement is cause for cautious celebration Read More »
Couple who set up and run firm are children of long-maligned ‘guest workers’ from Turkey Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage When the German biotechnology company BioNTech picked a street called An der Goldgrube or At the Goldmine in the western city of Mainz for its headquarters, the couple behind it could …
BioNTech’s Covid vaccine: a shot in the arm for Germany’s Turkish community Read More »
Early results from phase 3 trial look promising but there are still many questions to be answered Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Pfizer and the German biotech company Biontech said on Monday that they had had encouraging early results from a phase 3 clinical trial of their coronavirus vaccine. The trial …
What has Pfizer’s Covid vaccine trial found and is this a breakthrough? Read More »
FTSE 100 jumps as Pfizer and BioNTech report coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Global stocks have surged after the drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their coronavirus vaccine was 90% effective in tests, giving hope that economies around the world can soon return to normal. …
Global stock markets surge after Pfizer Covid vaccine news Read More »
Vaccine being trialled by Oxford University and AstraZeneca offers hope for all age groups Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage One of the world’s leading Covid-19 experimental vaccines produces an immune response in both older and young adults, raising hopes of a path out of the gloom and economic destruction wrought by …
Oxford Covid vaccine works in all ages, trials suggest Read More »
Report reveals country has failed to fully regulate trade despite promises to crack down The Chinese government continues to allow the use of pangolin scales for traditional medicine despite promises to crack down on a trade that has made them the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world. A report by the Environmental Investigation Agency …
China still allowing use of pangolin scales in traditional medicine Read More »
Doctors say patients are seeking to participate in drug’s trials as Regeneron’s stock soar after president touts treatment Doctors are reporting a spike in enquiries by patients for an experimental Covid-19 drug cocktail after Donald Trump called the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals drug “a blessing from God” that is a “cure” for the virus. Two doctors involved …
Demand surges for Regeneron drug that Trump claims ‘cures’ Covid-19 Read More »
Link to drug company boss raises questions about ‘cure’ claims and exclusive access Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage New questions have emerged over the circumstances in which Donald Trump was given an experimental antibody drug cocktail produced by a golfing acquaintance to treat his coronavirus infection. As Trump wrongly hailed his …
Provider of Trump Covid drug is president’s golf friend Read More »
Dexamethasone ‘normally reserved for people going into respiratory failure’, says expert Trump coronavirus treatment – live updates The latest intervention from Donald Trump’s medical team has been to put the president on dexamethasone, a steroid that is proven, thanks to the UK’s Recovery trial, to benefit Covid-19 patients who are having breathing difficulties. But the …
Trump’s steroid Covid treatment adds to confusion over health Read More »
Neither remdesivir nor REGN-COV2 have completed large-scale randomised trials, say UK scientists Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Scientists still lack conclusive proof that the two anti-Covid drugs given to Donald Trump are clinically effective. UK researchers point out that both medicines – remdesivir and REGN-COV2 – have still to complete the …
Anti-Covid treatments being given to Trump are still unproven, say experts Read More »
Campaign scoring countries for global access efforts calls for more British transparency Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK is doing more than most countries to support access to Covid vaccines for the poorest populations in the world, but it is not transparent enough about the deals it is doing at …
UK doing more than most to help poor get Covid vaccine, study finds Read More »
Expert behind vaccine confidence report points to halting of Oxford Covid trial as example Doctors and scientists need to show more empathy towards volunteers in coronavirus vaccine trials who fall ill if the public is to have full confidence in the safety of the vaccines being developed, say experts. The temporary halting of the Oxford …
Show more empathy to boost confidence in vaccines, scientists told Read More »
Pharmaceutical firm’s boss says 2020 deadline possible if regulators move fast Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine could still be available by the end of the year, or early next year, according to the company’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, despite clinical trials being paused after a volunteer fell ill. …
Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is still possible this year, says AstraZeneca chief Read More »
Tests have been paused after a UK volunteer became ill. How will it affect the search for a cure? The AstraZeneca vaccine trial has been paused – should we be worried? Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage One of the volunteers in the UK has become ill and it is crucial that …
Oxford Covid vaccine trial suspension: what happens next? Read More »
Authorities order 50% more doses than in 2019 in bid to avoid hospitals being overwhelmed Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Italian vaccine manufacturers are scrambling to produce millions of flu vaccination doses amid concern there will not be enough to meet demand this autumn and winter. The country’s 20 regional authorities …
Italian vaccine makers in race to produce flu doses before winter Read More »
UK drugmaker and Oxford Biomedica to produce more of potential coronavirus product Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage AstraZeneca has expanded an agreement with Oxford Biomedica to scale up production of its potential Covid-19 vaccine, as the race continues to find an effective prevention for the deadly virus. Under the supply agreement, …
AstraZeneca expands Covid-19 vaccine deal as final trials begin Read More »
While a cure-all drug or therapy is a long way off, there have been some breakthroughs Many different drugs and therapies are being trialled and used on patients with Covid-19. There are some positive results, which may be beginning to bring the hospital death toll down, but there is still a long way to go …
Six of the most promising treatments for Covid-19 so far Read More »
AstraZeneca says it has not discussed ‘emergency use authorisation’ with the US Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The company manufacturing the Oxford University coronavirus vaccine has denied it is in talks with the Trump administration about fast-tracking its vaccine for emergency use ahead of November’s presidential elections. With both Russia and …
Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine firm denies Trump talks Read More »
Russia is not the only country pursuing domestic politics over global cooperation in the fight against coronavirus We’re all waiting for a coronavirus vaccine, but when Russia announced earlier this week that it would be the first country to approve one, nobody rejoiced. Scientists pointed out clinical testing wasn’t complete, the vaccine had been tested …
Businesses already struggling with the fallout from Covid-19 will be forced to deal with a mountain of new bureaucracy in the middle of a deep recession The government did not quite achieve the Brexit breakthrough it was seeking on Friday, when there was hope that a fast-tracked trade agreement with Japan might be reached. But …
The Guardian view on Brexit bureaucracy: tied up in red tape | Editorial Read More »
The trade committee urged ministers to develop “parallel supply chains” as a solution Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Britain needs to ensure its stockpile of medicines is replenished to deal with a second wave of coronavirus and any shocks to a supply chain dominated by China and India, the trade committee …
UK must ensure medicines replenished for Covid-19 second wave Read More »
Pharmaceuticals company buys global rights to new technology from Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo Drugmaker AstraZeneca could pay up to $6bn (£4.7bn) for the global rights to a new Japanese cancer treatment. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company said it would pay $1bn (£800m) up front to its partner Daiichi Sankyo. Related: Covid-19 is Big Pharma’s chance to impress. …
AstraZeneca signs deal worth up to £4.7bn for cancer treatment Read More »
Synairgen’s share price rises 540% on morning of news of successful drugs trial Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Three professors at the University of Southampton school of medicine have this week made a “major breakthrough” in the treatment of coronavirus patients and become paper millionaires at the same time. Almost two …
‘Major’ breakthrough in Covid-19 drug makes UK professors millionaires Read More »
AstraZeneca and others should not own a lucrative patent on a medicine that is needed by poor as well as rich nations • See all our coronavirus coverage • Helen Clark is a former prime minister of New Zealand and Winnie Byanyima is UN undersecretary general To bring an end to the pandemic, the world …
Stake of 10% in CureVac is part of deal that could eventually be worth more than £800m Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has bought a 10% stake in a German biotech company that is a key player in the global race for a coronavirus vaccine as …
GSK buys £130m stake in German coronavirus vaccine maker Read More »
The family behind the firm that made OxyContin denies wrongdoing – but numerous cases against them have been halted while a court deliberates With most Americans transfixed for months by the election, Donald Trump’s impeachment, the coronavirus and economic catastrophes and anti-racism protests, the nation’s opioids crisis risks becoming “the forgotten epidemic”. But millions of …
Activists see Purdue bankruptcy case as last chance to call Sacklers to account Read More »
Hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir not found to help patients in hospital Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was discontinuing its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir for patients in hospital with Covid-19 after they failed to reduce mortality. …
No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at least Coronavirus – latest US updates Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The US has bought up virtually all the stocks for the next three months of one of the two drugs …
US secures world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir Read More »
Rich countries’ governments are putting all their trust in a marriage of markets and philanthropy called Gavi Vaccines for Covid-19 are coming. Billions of dollars are flowing in, over 100 efforts are under way, and at least 13 leading candidates are already being tested on humans. But how will these vaccines reach the poorest people …
Thanks to the success of the Human Genome Project, 20 years ago this week, scientists can track biology and disease at a molecular level Twenty years ago this week, an international group of scientists announced it had put together the first genetic blueprint of a human being. After 10 years of effort, the team – …
‘The wondrous map’: how unlocking human DNA changed the course of science Read More »
Manufacturers warn they will struggle to meet demand as governments seek to ease pressure on health services Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Fears of a second wave of coronavirus have sparked a global scramble for influenza shots from countries that hope to vaccinate great swathes of the population to reduce pressure …
Demand for flu vaccine soars as countries plan for second Covid-19 wave Read More »
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