Clinical research - Today Stories

World Antibiotic Awareness Week aims to increase awareness of global antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.A global action plan to tackle the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines was endorsed at the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2015. One of the key objectives of the plan is to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education and training.

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc PFE.N on Monday said its experimental vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 based on initial data from a large study, a major victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed over 1 million people, roiled the world's economy and upended daily life. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE BNTX.O are the first drugmakers to show successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine. The companies said they have so far found no serious safety concerns and expect to seek U.S. emergency use authorization later this month. If authorized, the number of vaccine doses will initially be limited. Many questions also remain including how long the vaccine will provide protection. However the news provides hope that other vaccines in…

UK-based Contract Research Organisation (CRO) Gentronix – the largest independent genetic toxicology CRO in Europe - has appointed a new Operations Director to accelerate its strategic growth plans.  Laura Hinton, whose previous role was as Director of Scientific Operations at Cyprotex, will join the senior executive team working alongside fellow Operations Director Nick Billinton to facilitate a ‘scale at pace’ growth strategy for the business in line with burgeoning market demand as well as growth into new markets and service areas. As a leading predictive toxicology contract research organisation, Gentronix’s work helps develop safe products used by millions of people around the world including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, fragrances, foods and cosmetics. The business has a specialis…

Kancera AB (Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market: KAN) announces that screening of covid-19 patients for the clinical phase II study of KAND567 starts today. The study, which is carried out in collaboration with Capio St. Göran's Hospital and Petter Brodin's research group at SciLifeLab, aims to study the effect of KAND567 on the immune system, lung function and rehabilitation. Results from the study will be analyzed and communicated on two occasions, the first after all patients have undergone sampling after day 7, and the second after day 90. Kancera develops drugs that counteract damage in acute and chronic inflammation. The Fractalkine blocker KAND567 is primarily developed to effectively counteract hyper-inflammation in various disease states and thereby protect vital organs, e.g.…

The Chief Executive of the UK’s pharmaceutical industry association has today warned MPs about the consequences of not agreeing a comprehensive post-Brexit trade deal or an urgent agreement on medicines while the trade talks continue. Richard Torbett told the Commons EU Future Relationship Committee that negotiators must consider the impact of causing unnecessary disruption and delays for UK and EU medicines whilst in the midst of a global pandemic. The Committee heard that companies were working in a constant state of emergency with supply chains under incredible pressure from COVID-19: "We need the bare minimum in order to safeguard risk to the supply chain [for medicines]. If we don’t get this there will be increased complexity, duplication and cost – the last thing we need during COVI…

It’s been 6 months since PharmiWeb, Europe’s largest pharma job board, launched our job board in Australia. Despite the backdrop of COVID-19, a massive thanks go out to all of our clients and all of the talented individuals who have engaged with our site, and come on board!We’re looking forward to the next 6 months as we continue to raise PharmiWeb’s profile across the continent, and help more and more Australian Life Sciences organisations recruit the best talent from PharmiWeb's ever-growing talent pool.If you would like more information regarding Pharmiweb and what our unique services can do for you, contact Sue or Laurel:Sue van Vuurensue.vanvuuren@pharmiweb.comTel: +61 (0) 468 625 626Laurel Steynlaurel.steyn@pharmiweb.comTel: +61 (0) 423 665 441Find Out More Here #pharmiweb #pharmajob…

After months of waiting, the official NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for England and Wales is now available.   Protect your loved ones with the official NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for England and Wales. It's the fastest way of knowing when you're at risk from coronavirus (COVID-19). The quicker you know, the quicker you can alert your loved ones, and your community.  The more of us that use it, the better we can control coronavirus. Protect your loved ones. Please download the app.

Responding to the news that the Covid-19 vaccine trial being run by Oxford University in conjunction with AstraZeneca has been halted for a second time, Kate Shaw, CEO of Innovative Trials, a clinical trials patient recruitment company, hoped it would not deter people from participating in clinical trials, either now or in the future. Shaw said: “I wish the clinical trial participant in question a swift recovery, but it’s important to note that a temporary halt on research is not uncommon and does not automatically mean a medicine is unsafe. Many treatments and vaccines can experience a pause during their development, even ones that are ultimately successful and brought to market.  “This news highlights the need for greater public awareness of what clinical research involves in order to av…

David Spencer-Percival founded Spencer Ogden and Huntress - two globally successful recruitment firms Life Science People launches with a commitment to boost employment opportunities post Covid-19 London, 01 September 2020: David Spencer-Percival, serial entrepreneur and founder of two globally successful recruitment businesses, Huntress and Spencer Ogden, is launching his latest venture, Life Science People. With a personal investment of £2m and an initial team of 20, Spencer-Percival’s team have set their sights set on ambitious growth, with plans to have a London office of 100 by December, and nine international offices within five years. In launching Life Science People he continues his commitment to hiring and training graduates, something he has maintained throughout all of his ven…

A new therapy that could treat people with diabetes suffering from COVID-19 is to undergo an advanced clinical trial in the UK.  The first patient will be dosed this week. The Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) has approved the trial following new preclinical research that suggests a glucose kinase activator (AZD1656) could help diabetes sufferers infected with coronavirus by dampening the overactive response of the immune system typically acute in those patients with raised blood glucose levels. The trial will involve hospitalised patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and if successful the compound could ultimately be prescribed by a GP for people with diabetes presenting with early COVID symptoms. People living with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of dyi…

Oslo, Norway, 6 August 2020. Nordic Nanovector ASA (OSE: NANO) today announces that, following a planned interim analysis of the PARADIGME Phase 2b pivotal trial of Betalutin® in patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (FL), the Independent Review Committee (IRC) has recommended Nordic Nanovector to focus on one dosage arm (15 MBq/kg Betalutin® after a pre-dose of 40 mg lilotomab; “40/15”) to completion. In this very difficult to treat patient population (bulky disease, patients refractory to standard therapies) the interim analysis confirmed activity. Betalutin®, as a single administration, was active (CR, PR and disease control rate) and had a well-tolerated safety and manageable safety profile in both arms. Based on a comprehensive assessment, the interim data set supporte…

Improvements also demonstrated in quality of life, lung function and nasal polyposis symptoms 05 August 2020  Results from the positive Phase IIIb ANDHI trial showed AstraZeneca’s Fasenra (benralizumab), when given on top of standard of care, demonstrated a statistically significant 49% reduction in the annual rate of asthma exacerbations at week 24 compared to placebo (0.94 vs. 1.86; p≤0.0001) in patients with baseline blood eosinophil counts greater than or equal to 150 cells per microlitre.1 These data were presented today at the American Thoracic Society 2020 Virtual International Conference.1 In key secondary endpoints, Fasenra demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in health-related quality of life at week 24 compared to placebo (p≤0.0001), wi…

Heidelberg (Germany), 3 August 2020: Pharma business development requires meeting other people but this has become very difficult in times of distancing, travel restrictions and quarantine. The traditional model of "partnering events" has suffered a blow and so have organisers. The workaround of merely replacing physical by video one-on-one meetings on the same conference days meets organisational and technical glitches.RauCon has developed an entirely novel, Corona-proof partnering concept which is now online and running. The new Marketplace for Pharma Business Opportunities provides an unprecedented degree of flexibility in pharma partnering by adding full four weeks of pre-arranged and secure, one-hour video meetings to the physical two-days euroPLX or asiaPLX events. Attendees can move…

BASINGSTOKE, August 3, 2020 – Eli Lilly and Company today announced the initiation of BLAZE-2, a Phase 3 trial studying LY-CoV555 for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in residents and staff at long-term care facilities in the U.S. (skilled nursing facilities, commonly referred to as nursing homes, and assisted living facilities). LY-CoV555, the lead antibody from Lilly’s collaboration with AbCellera, is a neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 among residents of long-term care facilities combined with the higher mortality rate for the elderly creates the urgent need for therapies to prevent COVID-19 in this vulnerable population. “COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on nursing home residents. We’re worki…

Open Orphan plc "Open Orphan" or the "Company" Awarded Contract from Codagenix Inc. New York USA for COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Open Orphan plc (ORPH), a rapidly growing specialist CRO pharmaceutical services company which is the world leader in the testing of vaccines and antivirals using human challenge clinical trials is pleased to announce a new contract with Codagenix Inc. (“Codagenix”) to conduct a first in human (Phase I) trial evaluating safety and immunogenicity of a single-dose, intranasal SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine candidate in 48 healthy young adult volunteers.  Highlights: First in human (Phase I) study of CodaVax-COVID, a codon deoptimized SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) single-dose, intranasal vaccine candidate Vaccine being trialled at hVIVO’s state-of-the-art Quarantine Facility in…

Saint-Herblain (France), July 20th, 2020 – Valneva SE, a specialty vaccine company focused on prevention against diseases with major unmet needs, today confirmed its participation in the UK government COVID-19 vaccine response program. Valneva has reached agreement in principle with the UK government to provide up to 100 million doses of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, to be manufactured at its facilities in Livingston, Scotland. The UK government is expected to contribute to UK clinical studies costs and is negotiating funding to expand Valneva’s Scottish facility. As part of its broader COVID-19 response, Valneva plans to further invest in its manufacturing facility in Livingston, Scotland and also in Solna, Sweden. Thomas Lingelbach, CEO of Valneva, commented, “We are delighted to hav…

OXFORD, 20 JULY 2020: Vaccitech Ltd, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing immunotherapies to treat and prevent infectious diseases and cancer, today announces that Oxford University’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group have taken the next step towards the discovery of a safe, effective and accessible vaccine against coronavirus. The vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, now known as AZN1222, was co-invented by Vaccitech and Oxford University’s Jenner Institute. The results of the Phase I/II trial published today in the scientific journal, The Lancet, indicate no early safety concerns and the induction of strong immune responses in both parts of the immune system. The vaccine provoked a T cell response within 14 days of vaccination (a cellular immune response, it cou…

DANBURY, Conn. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IQVIA™ (NYSE:IQV) has announced its collaboration with AstraZeneca (LON: AZN) to accelerate development of a potential new vaccine for COVID-19. This joint initiative is part of the U.S. government’s recently announced Operation Warp Speed project. Operation Warp Speed is part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. The specific IQVIA and AstraZeneca collaboration will drive faster delivery of clinical studies in the U.S. aimed at demonstrating efficacy of AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, AZD1222. This initiative includes an expansive subject study, which is expected to begin enrolling participants this summer and wil…

New UK fund cornerstoned by £50 million investment from the British Business Bank, through its Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF) programme Epidarex Capital III UK LP will invest in new life science companies from emerging research hubs across the UK, including spinouts from highly regarded universities Edinburgh, UK, 22 June 2020 - Epidarex Capital (“Epidarex”), a transatlantic life science venture firm, announces that it has closed Epidarex Capital III UK LP (the “Fund”) at £102.1 million. The Fund will build new life science companies based on world-class research and innovation from emerging hubs across the UK, including spinouts from highly regarded universities. Typical initial investments will range from £2 million to £5 million. The new Fund has been cornerstoned by the British Busin…

--- Royal Society of Chemistry gathers publishers of more than 4,400 scholarly journals and tens of thousands of books in landmark commitment to reduce bias --- --- Publications range across disciplines including STEM and medicine to humanities and social sciences --- --- American Chemical Society, BMJ, Elsevier, the Royal Society, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press among those to sign up --- --- Nobel Prize-winning chemist Professor Frances Arnold endorses RSC leadership --- Publishers responsible for tens of thousands of peer-reviewed journals and books have signed an agreement to take a proactive stance against bias, as they commit to working together to better reflect the diversity of their communities and to remove barriers for under-represented groups. The joint…