COVID-19 Update | June 25, 2021

COVID-19 News

COVID-19 Update | June 25, 2021

June 25, 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 June 25, 2021. Notable advancements include:

  • Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19, according to new data reported by a Pfizer official.
  • Gilead Sciences now has new data from 98,654 hospitalized patients that lend additional support for the use of the antibody drug remdesivir. According to the studies, treatment with the drug led to a significantly lower risk of death.
  • Moderna will be adding two new COVID-19 vaccine production lines to prepare for making booster shots. The company is getting one new line up and running by fall and the other by early 2022.

​Recent News:

  • Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine highly effective against Delta variant
    Reuters – June 24, 2021
    The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is highly effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19, a Pfizer official said. “The data we have today, accumulating from research we are conducting at the lab and including data from those places where the Indian variant, Delta, has replaced the British variant as the common variant, point to our vaccine being very effective, around 90%, in preventing the coronavirus disease, COVID-19,” stated Alon Rappaport, Pfizer’s medical director in Israel.
  • California, Bay Area Ahead of Rest of the U.S. in COVID-19 Vaccinations
    NBC Bay Area – June 23, 2021
    California has hit a COVID-19 vaccination milestone that most of the country has failed to achieve: More than 70% of adults in the state have now received at least one dose of vaccine. President Joe Biden set that very goal for all Americans by July 4 but announced Tuesday that the U.S. would not reach the 70% plateau by that date.
  • Real-world remdesivir data add to body of evidence for Gilead Sciences COVID-19 drug
    MedCity News – June 21, 2021
    Gilead Sciences drug remdesivir became the first FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19 based on data from three Phase 3 clinical trials enrolling a little more than 2,000 patients. The company now has new real-world data from 98,654 hospitalized patients that lend additional support for use of the drug. According to the studies, treatment with the Gilead drug, which the company markets as Veklury, led to a significantly lower risk of death. California-based Gilead presented the data at the World Microbe Forum.
  • Local Companies See Gains in COVID-19 Vaccine Development
    LA Business Journal – June 21, 2021
    Three California-based companies have made strides in recent weeks in their efforts to bring new COVID-19 vaccines to market. Xencor, located in the Los Angeles area, announced the FDA has granted emergency use authorization for an antibody therapy to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms that was jointly developed by San Francisco-based Vir Biotechnology Inc. Culver City-based ImmunityBio Inc., announced two South African clinical trials to examine the potential for using its adenovirus T-cell-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate to provide extended protection for subjects with prior COVID vaccinations or infections.
  • Moderna Plans To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Production By 50% Including Boosters, Supply Other Countries
    Yahoo Finance – June 21, 2021
    Moderna will be adding two new production lines at the rebuilt former Polaroid plant where it manufactures its COVID-19 vaccine to prepare for making booster shots. The company is getting one new line up and running by fall and the other by early 2022. The additions will help Moderna increase its overall production capacity by 50%.
  • California Offers Digital Record Of COVID-19 Vaccination
    KPBS  – June 19, 2021
    California started offering residents a digital record of their COVID-19 vaccinations that they can use to access businesses or events that require proof they got the shots. The state’s public health and technology departments said the new tool allows Californians access to their COVID-19 vaccination records from the state’s immunization registry and includes the same information as the paper cards issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • US to spend $3.2B on treatments for COVID-19, other viruses
    Associated Press – June 18, 2021
    The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to speed development of antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics. The new program will invest in “accelerating things that are already in progress” for COVID-19 but also would work to come up with treatments for other viruses, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

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].