• Abbott Laboratories gained approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its portable COVID-19 tests that can deliver results within 15 minutes.
• Promising results were seen in elderly patients in Moderna’s small clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine.
• AztraZeneca started early testing of an antibody-based treatment and will begin a clinical trial.

​Recent News:

• Abbott’s $5 rapid COVID-19 antigen test granted authorization by FDA
  NBC News – August 27, 2020 
  Abbott Laboratories said on Wednesday it won U.S. marketing authorization for a COVID-19 portable antigen test that can deliver results within 15 minutes and will sell for $5.
• Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results in a small trial of elderly patients
  CNBC – August 26, 2020 
  Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was tested on 10 adults between the ages of 56 and 70 and 10 elderly adults aged 71 and older, produced neutralizing antibodies, which researchers believe are necessary to build immunity to the virus, and T-cells.
• AstraZeneca broadens COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing deal with Catalent
  BioPharma Dive – August 26, 2020 
  AstraZeneca has enlisted Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy to produce the drug substance for an experimental COVID-19 vaccine and will be developed with the University of Oxford.
• In tiny llama antibodies, researchers see hope for a COVID-19 treatment
  NBC News – August 26, 2020 
  Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, say they hope to harness the power of llama antibodies to stop COVID-19 from infecting humans.
• Translate Bio, Sanofi COVID-19 vaccine candidate produces an immune response in early studies
  Reuters – August 25, 2020
  Translate Bio Inc said on Tuesday that an experimental COVID-19 vaccine it developed with French drugmaker Sanofi SA induced immune response in early studies, with trials in humans expected to start in November.
• AstraZeneca begins early-stage trial of COVID-19 antibody treatment
  NBC News – August 25, 2020 
  British drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had started early testing of an antibody-based treatment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and the Phase 1 trial will include 48 participants.
• New treatments aim to treat COVID-19 early, before it gets serious
  August 24 – Science News
  Researchers have identified and are testing a variety of existing drugs that might be repurposed to fight the coronavirus early in infections.
• Antibody Drugs Advancing to Fill COVID-19 Treatment Gap
  Wall Street Journal – August 23, 2020 
  Researchers and health officials express hope certain drugs, known as monoclonal antibodies and in testing by companies including Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co., will fill the breach.
• T cells, the body’s antiviral snipers, look promising for a COVID-19 vaccine
  San Francisco Chronicle – August 23, 2020 
  A mysterious network of white blood cells that can search out and destroy cells infected with COVID-19 has taken on new importance as epidemiologists continue their search for a vaccine amid doubts that antibodies alone can provide lasting immunity.
• COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer, BioNTech chose for late-stage testing appears safer than first
  BioPharma Dive – August 21, 2020
  The experimental COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer and BioNTech selected for late-stage testing in tens of thousands of people caused fewer side effects than an earlier version, new study results made available online Thursday showed.