Clover Biopharmaceuticals, a global clinical-stage biotech, has completed the enrolment of adult and elderly participants in its SPECTRA study, a global Phase II/III clinical trial examining the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine, SCB-2019. Around 29,000 adults were enrolled in the trial, one of the most ethnically diverse Covid-19 clinical trials to date; over 45% of participants were from Asia, 45% were from Latin America, and the remainder were from Africa and Europe.
Batavia Biosciences and RocketVax, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based start-up Swiss Rockets, have joined forces to work on an investigational Covid-19 vaccine, RVX-13. Batavia said it is collaborating with the company to develop a clinical process capable of delivering 1,000 doses of material for the clinical trials. The vaccine is scheduled to enter Phase I clinical trials in 2022.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended interleukin-6 receptor blockers for treatment of severely or critically ill Covid-19 patients, especially when administered along with corticosteroids. The updated guidelines for patient care are based on a living network meta-analysis initiated by WHO, the largest such analysis of the drugs to date. These are the first drugs found to be effective against Covid-19 since WHO recommended corticosteroids in September 2020. WHO has urged drug makers to reduce prices and make supplies of the drug available to low- and middle-income countries.
