August 26, 2022

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 26, 2022. Notable advancements include:

• Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17
• Pfizer and BioNTech have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency clearance of an Omicron variant-adapted booster shot

Recent News

• Moderna follows Pfizer in asking FDA to approve updated COVID-19 shot
  Biopharma Dive – August 24, 2022
  Moderna has joined Pfizer in asking the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization of a new COVID-19 booster dose adapted to the virus strains now dominant in the U.S. The biotech’s reformulated dose targets both the original coronavirus strain and the BA.4/BA.5 omicron subvariants.
• Scientists are racing to develop home tests that measure protection against COVID-19
  Stat News – August 23, 2022
  A new study, published in Cell Reports Methods, presents a simple test to detect neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, using little more than a finger prick and a testing cartridge. The approach, if it bears out in large-scale testing and receives the blessing of regulatory agencies, could one day offer a cheap, easy option to measure protection against the virus.
• Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine 73 percent effective in children under 5
  The Hill – August 23, 2022
  Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was 73.2 percent effective against the disease in children under 5, the company said. The company touted the data as reinforcing the importance of the vaccine, which was authorized in June, after months of waiting for a vaccine for the youngest children. The effectiveness is for after three shots of the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine’s authorization was delayed earlier this year to allow time to study a third shot, with the idea that two shots was not enough.
• Pfizer, BioNTech submit omicron booster for FDA clearance
  Biopharma Dive – August 22, 2022
  Pfizer and partner BioNTech have officially asked the Food and Drug Administration for emergency clearance of a omicron variant-adapted booster shot, announcing they’ve completed submission of their application to the regulator. The reformulated COVID-19 vaccine is a key part of the Biden administration’s plans for a fall vaccination campaign to help restore immunity in adults and adolescents ahead of an expected rise in cases during the winter months.
• Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster shots are just weeks away. Here’s who will—and won’t—be eligible
  CNBC – August 22, 2022
  Newly updated COVID-19 booster shots designed to target omicron’s BA.5 subvariant should be available within in the next three weeks. That begs an important question: Who’s going to be eligible to get them? The short answer: anyone ages 12 and up who has completed a primary vaccination series, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson tells CNBC Make It. It’s unlikely to matter whether you’ve received any other booster doses or not before, the spokesperson says — but if you’re unvaccinated, you won’t eligible for the updated formula until you complete a primary series with the existing COVID-19 vaccines.
• Pfizer seeks OK of updated COVID-19 vaccine booster for fall
  AP News – August 22, 2022
  Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron relatives — a key step toward opening a fall booster campaign. The Food and Drug Administration ordered vaccine makers to tweak their shots to target BA.4 and BA.5 that are better than ever at dodging immunity from earlier vaccination or infection. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech aim to offer updated boosters to people 12 and older, and shots could begin within weeks if the FDA quickly clears the modified vaccine — a step not expected to require waiting on new studies
• Variant-Targeted COVID-19 Boosters Test the Promise of mRNA Technology
  The Wall Street Journal – August 21, 2022
  The U.K. last week became the first country to clear a modified COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant, and other countries including Canada and Australia might soon follow. But in the U.S., modified COVID-19 booster shots are unlikely to be cleared for several more weeks because health authorities decided in late June they wanted modified vaccines to target different Omicron subvariants than those rolling out in other countries. As a result, the makers of the leading COVID-19 vaccines—Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. with its partner BioNTech SE—got a later start producing the new shots that are planned for the U.S.
• FDA authorizes emergency use for Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 to 17
  CNBC – August 20, 2022
  Biotechnology company Novavax announced that its COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. In July, Novavax’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for adults ages 18 and over got its emergency approval from the FDA.
• So you got COVID-19 in the surge. Here’s what you need to know about long COVID now
  San Francisco Chronicle – August 20, 2022
  Omicron and its subvariants have been spreading for months, with each version more transmissible than the next. While some variants have more easily escaped immunity from vaccines and prior infection, omicron overall is less deadly than prior variants, experts say. Amid this changing landscape, experts know that “long COVID-19 hasn’t gone away” — but some evidence suggests that long COVID-19 occurs less than with previous variants, according to Dr. Upinder Singh, one of the leads at Stanford University of the RECOVER program.
• In one California county, just 4% of pre-teens are vaccinated against COVID: ‘We can do a lot better’
  San Francisco Chronicle – August 18, 2022
  Eight of the Bay Area’s nine counties lead the state in primary series vaccination rates among school-age children, according to data posted by the state. Yet enthusiasm has waned and plateaued in some counties, especially in families with younger children. Marin County sets the pace for the state: About 94% of kids ages 12 to 17 are vaccinated with their primary coronavirus shot series, along with 80% of children ages 5 to 11. San Francisco reports 87% vaccinated in the older age group, and 59% in the younger. Most of the other Bay Area counties range from 77% to 90% for the teen group, and 50 % to 68% for the younger children. Those numbers are well above California’s average statewide vaccination rates for school-age kids: Statewide, 67% of 12- to 17-year-olds are vaccinated, and 37% of elementary school-age children.

Rely on California Biotechnology Foundation to monitor breaking news and provide updates on the latest advancements in COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments.

Stay informed on the latest news and trends on the economic and health benefits of this industry by visiting the new CABiotech.org

If you have any questions about informational briefings contact California Biotechnology Foundation Executive Director Patty Cooper at (916)764-2434 or [email protected].