January 15, 2021

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 January 15, 2021. Notable advancements include:

• Early stage trials of Johnson & Johnson‘s experimental COVID-19 vaccine show it generated an immune response in nearly all volunteers, with minimal side-effects, after a single dose.
• Federal public health officials recommend states expand access to COVID-19 vaccines to everyone ages 65 and up, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Roche and Sanofi’s arthritis drugs significantly improve survival rates and reduce the amount of time critically ill COVID-19 patients need intensive care, study results showed.

​Recent News:

• Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine generates immune response, few side effects, in early trials
  CNN – January 13, 2021
  Early stage trials of Johnson & Johnson’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine show it generated an immune response in nearly all volunteers, with minimal side-effects, after a single dose. The company expects to report details of more advanced trials later this month and is hoping to apply for authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration soon after.
• An ER Tech and COVID-19 survivor are teaming up to get the word out about vaccines to Latinos across Northern California
  ABC 10 – January 13, 2021
  Two friends are reaching out to the Latino population across Northern California to share the word about the COVID-19 vaccine, using their personal experiences and their church to boost their message to as many people as possible.
• Vir Biotech, Glaxo to Begin Study on Second COVID-19 Therapy
  Yahoo Finance – January 13, 2021
  Vir Biotechnology, Inc., along with its partner GlaxoSmithKline announced that the clinical study on their second COVID-19 therapeutic candidate is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
• CDC to recommend states give COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 65 and older
  NBC News – January 12, 2021
  Federal public health officials recommend states expand access to COVID-19 vaccines to everyone ages 65 and up, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The guidelines are intended to widen the pool of people who can receive the vaccine.
• California, Bay Area opening mass COVID-19 vaccination sites
  San Francisco Chronicle – January 11, 2021
  State and local officials are starting to open mass vaccination centers to speed up coronavirus immunizations and accommodate the millions of additional Californians now eligible for vaccines under the state’s new, looser guidelines. Vaccination sites are opening as soon as this week at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Petco Park in San Diego and Cal Expo in Sacramento, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news briefing.
• Here’s California’s plan to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations. Will it be enough?
  San Francisco Chronicle – January 8, 2021
  California health officials are loosening the guidelines on who can get vaccinated against COVID-19 now — potentially quickening the pace of vaccinations while also opening the door to ethical and logistical questions about how to do so in a fair and orderly way.
• Bayer partners with CureVac on coronavirus vaccine development
  BioPharma Dive – January 7, 2021
  CureVac is linking up with German drugmaker Bayer to develop and eventually supply its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, the companies announced.
• How Nine COVID-19 Vaccines Work
  New York Times – January 7, 2021
  Researchers are testing 64 COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials on humans. Here are explanations about how nine of the leading vaccines work.
• Roche, Sanofi arthritis drugs reduce death rates among sickest COVID-19 patients
  Reuters – January 7, 2021
  Treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with Roche’s Actemra or Sanofi’s Kevzara arthritis drugs significantly improves survival rates and reduces the amount of time patients need intensive care, study results showed.
• Moderna CEO says COVID-19 vaccine protection may last years
  CBS News – January 7, 2021
  Moderna’s CEO said the company’s new COVID-19 vaccine might prevent infection for years. “We believe there will be protection potentially for a couple of years,” Bancel said.  He explained that the “antibody decay generated by the vaccine in humans goes down very slowly,” Reuters reports.

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].