March 12, 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 March 12, 2021. Notable advancements include:

• Novavax reported that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 96 percent effective in preventing mild and severe illness according to results from a Phase 3 clinical trial.
• Pfizer and BioNTech reported that real-world data suggests that its COVID-19 vaccine is 94 percent effective in preventing asymptomatic infections.
• Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline will seek emergency clearance of their antibody treatment for early-stage COVID-19 patients after research found it could reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 85 percent.

​Recent News:

• Novavax Covid vaccine is highly effective in U.K. trial, drugmaker says
  NBC News – March 12, 2021
  Biotech company Novavax reported that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 96 percent effective in preventing mild and severe illness. The results are from the company’s Phase 3 clinical trial, which was conducted in the U.K. Novavax’s trials in the U.S. and South Africa continue, and the company cannot apply for emergency use authorization in the U.S. until the American trials are complete.
• Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine cuts transmission of coronavirus, new real-world study shows
  NBC News – March 11, 2021
  Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said that real-world data from Israel suggests that their COVID-19 vaccine is 94 percent effective in preventing asymptomatic infections, meaning the vaccine could significantly reduce transmission.
• Vir breaks through with study success for COVID-19 antibody
  BioPharma Dive – March 11, 2021
  Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline will seek emergency clearance of their antibody treatment for early-stage COVID-19 patients after research found it could reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 85%.
• A closer look at the manufacturing scale-up hastening the COVID-19 vaccine push
  BioPharma Dive – March 11, 2021
  Last Saturday, nearly three million people in the U.S. were vaccinated with one of the three coronavirus shots now authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, a record. At the current rate of daily doses, President Joe Biden could meet his goal of 100 million shots in the first 100 days of his administration well ahead of schedule.
• Lilly builds case for COVID-19 antibody drugs with new data
  BioPharma Dive – March 10, 2021
  Eli Lilly’s combination antibody treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 87% in a Phase 3 study, a new set of data that helps to solidify the therapy’s benefits. The trial, called BLAZE-1, compared a placebo with the two-drug regimen of Lilly antibody drugs recently cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use.
• COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens are coming, experts say
  Los Angeles Times – March 10, 2021
  Currently, no COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use in children under the age of 16. But several vaccine makers are already testing their shots in younger teens and some pre-teens, and others have committed to doing so soon. It’s all part of a push to get as many Americans protected against the virus as possible.
• San Diego biotech developing antibody treatments against new COVID-19 strains
  San Diego Union-Tribune – March 9, 2021
  San Diego biotech Sorrento Therapeutics announced that it is beginning to test antibody treatments that could work against new, faster-spreading strains of COVID-19. Sorrento is testing about a dozen antibodies that it believes could work against these strains, as well as others that arise in the future.
• The United States is now averaging 2 million vaccine doses administered per day.
  New York Times – March 9, 2021
  The average number of vaccine doses being administered across the United States per day topped two million for the first time, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A month ago, the average was about 1.3 million. President Biden set a goal for the country shortly after taking office to administer more than 1.5 million doses a day, which the nation has now comfortably exceeded.
• Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine neutralizes Brazil variant in lab study as experts warn of rapid spread
  Washington Post – March 9, 2021
  The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine appears to be highly effective against a more contagious variant first discovered in Brazil, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, raising hopes that ongoing vaccination efforts will help curb its spread.
• Merck gives an early peek at COVID-19 drug results
  BioPharma Dive – March 8, 2021
  An experimental pill meant to combat COVID-19 appears to be safe and at least somewhat effective at cutting down the time that patients test positive for the infection, according to early data from its developers Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
• More than 200K Educators, Child Care Workers in California Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
  NBC Bay Area – March 8, 2021
  More than 200,000 educators and child care workers received a COVID-19 vaccine dose over the last week, more than double the goal set by the state of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Last week, the state began reserving 10% of the vaccine shipments sent to local health departments and multi-house health care entities for educators and child care workers in an effort to hasten the reopening of schools across the state.
• Crucial data on AstraZeneca’s vaccine are coming. Here’s what we may learn.
  BioPharma Dive – March 8, 2021
  Three COVID-19 vaccines are available for use in the U.S. Each were endorsed with little drama by the Food and Drug Administration after clearly positive results in clinical trials.

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].