AstraZeneca has closed a global development and commercialisation agreement with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ionis) for eplontersen, formerly known as IONIS-TTR-LRX.

The companies will jointly develop and commercialise eplontersen in the US, while AstraZeneca will develop and commercialise it in the rest of the world, except in Latin America.

AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria (ChAdOx1-S [Recombinant]) significantly boosted levels of antibodies against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529) following a third dose booster, according to data from a new laboratory study.(1)

Neutralisation titres for Omicron were boosted following a third dose with Vaxzevria compared to titres after a second dose.(1)

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted Novavax conditional marketing authorization (CMA) for Nuvaxovid™ COVID-19 Vaccine (recombinant, adjuvanted) for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 18 years of age and older.

AstraZeneca's Evusheld (tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab), a long-acting antibody combination for the prevention of COVID-19, retained neutralising activity against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529), according to new preclinical data.

In this study, Evusheld's Inhibitory Concentration 50 (IC50), a measure of neutralising potency of an antibody, was 171 ng/ml and 277 ng/ml in two confirmatory tests, which is within the range of neutralising titres found in someone who has been previously infected with COVID-19.

Novartis announced the introduction of T-Charge™, the company's next-generation CAR-T platform that will serve as the foundation for various new investigational CAR-T cell therapies in the Novartis pipeline. At the 63rd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition (ASH) 2021, Novartis will present early clinical data from ongoing Phase I clinical trials with YTB323 (anti-CD19) and PHE885 (anti-BCMA),

Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, and GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) announce positive efficacy and safety results from the global Phase 3 placebo-controlled efficacy study of Medicago's plant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in combination with GSK's pandemic adjuvant, conducted in over 24,000 subjects (adults 18 years and above) across six countries.

Boehringer Ingelheim announced that it will dedicate EUR 50 million to a new initiative called "Boehringer Ingelheim Social Engagements". The program provides financing for impact to social businesses in vulnerable communities through non-traditional financing options, combined with a partnering approach.