The California Biotechnology Foundation is committed to keeping you up to date about COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention advancements. The following resources track what progress has been made as of August 14, 2020. Notable advancements include:

• Gilead Sciences reached a milestone in its COVID-19 treatment remdesivir by applying for FDA approval.
• Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are developing and testing an antibody drug to aid in the fight against COVID-19.
• The University of California, San Francisco, reported they’ve formulated a nasal spray that can help ward off COVID-19.

​Recent News:

• Here’s what we know about Bay Area’s 1st coronavirus vaccine trial
  ABC 7 News – August 13, 2020
  Phase 3 trials of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, developed by Oxford University, will begin in the Bay Area this month, in partnership with UCSF.
• Large study suggests convalescent plasma can help treat COVID-19
  STAT – August 13, 2020
  The study, which enrolled more than 35,000 patients, found that quickly administering so-called convalescent plasma had a marked effect on mortality for patients with severe cases of COVID-19.
• UCSF researchers develop nasal spray to fight coronavirus. It could be sold in stores
  Sacramento Bee – August 13, 2020 
  Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reported Tuesday they have formulated a nasal spray that can help ward off COVID-19.
• Bay Area joins two major coronavirus vaccine trials
  San Francisco Chronicle – August 12, 2020 
  Bay Area residents this week join the global race for a COVID-19 vaccine, with developers of two of the most promising candidates seeking hundreds of volunteers in San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Clara County.
• UCD, Kaiser seeking hundreds in Sacramento, other cities for coronavirus vaccine trial
  Sacramento Bee – August 12, 2020 
  UC Davis Health and Kaiser Permanente will be identifying hundreds of patients in Sacramento and other communities to participate in a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
• Moderna Signs COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Deal with U.S.
  Biospace – August 12, 2020
  As one of the leaders in developing a COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna signed a contract with the U.S. government to supply 100 million doses of mRNA-1273, the company’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
• Companies test antibody drugs to treat, prevent COVID-19
  San Diego Union Tribune – August 11, 2020 
  Companies like Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are developing and testing an antibody drug to aid in the fight against COVID-19.
• J&J eyes one billion doses of potential COVID-19 shot in 2021, weighs challenge trials
  Reuters – August 11, 2020
  Johnson & Johnson could produce 1 billion doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine next year if it proves successful and would consider challenge trials, a company executive said.
• Gilead seeks FDA approval for COVID-19 drug remdesivir
  CBS News – August 10, 2020
  Gilead Sciences on Monday applied for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir.
• Coronavirus patient at UCSF gets two-drug combo in global experiment
  San Francisco Chronicle – August 10, 2020 
  Doctors at UCSF conducted the study, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, treated their first patient last week with a combination of remdesivir, an antiviral drug, and interferon, an anti-inflammatory used for people with multiple sclerosis.
• Bay Area Biotech Company Develops Promising New Class Of Drug To Treat COVID-19 Patients
  CBS Bay Area – August 10, 2020 
  A Bay Area biotechnology company (Gigagen) has discovered a new way to make a COVID-19 treatment by producing an entirely new class of drugs and soon, the invention will be tested in human clinical trials.