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 7, 2020. Notable advancements include:

• Pfizer has agreed to manufacture Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir, increasing supplies for the much needed COVID-19 treatment.
• Johnson & Johnson will partner with the U.S. government to produce 100 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.
• The National Institutes of Health and Eli Lilly & Co. will soon start two clinical trials for its coronavirus treatment to help patients in the early stages of COVID-19.

​Recent News:

• Gilead Inks Deal to Boost Production of COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir
  Wall Street Journal – August 7, 2020
  Gilead Sciences Inc. has struck a multiyear deal with Pfizer Inc. to manufacture its COVID-19 treatment remdesivir, and says it will be able to meet global demand in real time starting in October.
• Pfizer agrees to manufacture Gilead’s coronavirus drug remdesivir
  CNBC – August 7, 2020
  Pfizer has agreed to manufacture and supply Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir. The multiyear agreement will support efforts to scale up the supply of the intravenous drug. Pfizer will manufacture the drug at its McPherson, Kansas, facility.
• Johnson & Johnson’s to supply 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidate to U.S.
  Reuters – August 5, 2020
  A $1 billion agreement between Janssen Pharmaceutical, a Johnson & Johnson unit, and HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority secures 100 million doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine at about $10 apiece if it gains approval, and the government has an option to purchase 200 million more doses.
• National Institutes of Health launches clinical trials for COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment
  NBC News – August 4, 2020
  The NIH will launch two clinical trials, one each for inpatients and outpatients, as part of its Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Intervention and Vaccines program to test the safety and efficacy of Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody LY-CoV555 as a potential treatment for patients in the early stages of a COVID-19 infection.
• Convalescent Plasma Reduced Death Rate Among COVID-19 Patients, Study Data Signals
  Wall Street Journal – August 4, 2020 
  Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received transfusions of blood plasma rich with antibodies from recovered patients reduced their mortality rate by about 50%, according to researchers running a large national study.
• Scientists Are Optimistic About New Vaccine Studies From Novavax
  New York Times – August 4, 2020 
  Novavax, the little-known Maryland company that received a $1.6 billion deal from the federal government for its experimental COVID- 19 vaccine, announced encouraging results in two preliminary studies on Tuesday.
• COVID R&D alliance recruits first patients for unusual COVID-19 study
  BioPharma Dive – August 3, 2020
  The COVID R&D Alliance has enrolled the first patients in a platform trial testing Amgen’s Otezla, Takeda’s Firazyr and AbbVie’s experimental cenicriviroc as therapeutics in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
• Mobile labs help Eli Lilly test antibody drug
  CNBC – August 3, 2020
  Eli Lilly and Co. wants to find out if the antibody drug it has developed can prevent COVID-19 cases in nursing homes, so it is sending mobile research labs to these facilities as part of its late-stage clinical trial.
• AbbVie, Amgen and Takeda test anti-inflammatory drugs in joint COVID-19 study
  Fierce Pharma – August 3, 2020 
  The drug industry has come together in unprecedented collaborative efforts to tackle COVID-19. Now, as part of an R&D alliance, three big drugmakers are running a joint clinical trial to see whether their products can improve outcomes for severely ill patients.
• Atossa to advance trial for COVID-19 nasal spray
  Seeking Alpha – August 3, 2020
  Australian regulators have cleared the way for Atossa Therapeutics to launch a trial to test the safety and tolerability of nasal spray AT-301 as a potential COVID-19 treatment.
• Sanofi and GSK to supply 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to U.S.
  STAT – July 31, 2020 
  The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed effort will provide up to $2.1 billion to Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline to fund the development and manufacturing of the companies’ experimental COVID-19 vaccine, the companies announced Friday.
• Merck aims to start ‘large pivotal’ studies on coronavirus treatment in September
  CNBC – July 31, 2020 
  Merck has scheduled “very large pivotal studies” for its oral COVID-19 treatment in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics as early as September.