July 10, 2020

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 July 10, 2020. Notable advancements include:

• Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said this week that he believes that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for the company’s coronavirus vaccine could come as soon as October.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. will be starting its later-stage studies of its experimental COVID-19 drug to determine whether the drug is feasible for treatment and prevention.
• Gilead has launched a Phase 1B trial to evaluate the safety of the inhaled version of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 earlier and avoid hospitalization.

​Recent News:

• Gilead kicks off clinical trial of inhaled remdesivir for less-severe COVID-19
  Fierce Pharma – July 9, 2020
  Two weeks after securing an FDA go-ahead, Gilead said it had kicked off a phase 1b trial to evaluate the safety of inhaled remdesivir.
• Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Raises Expectations That the Pharmaceutical Giant Can Deliver a COVID-19 Vaccine by Fall
  Time – July 9, 2020
  Pfizer is increasingly confident that its efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine will be successful. In a July 7 interview with TIME, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he believes that Food and Drug Administration approval could come as soon as October.
• Medical care for very ill COVID-19 patients is getting better
  USA Today – July 9, 2020
  Four months ago, when COVID-19 arrived in the USA, there were no therapies shown to treat it. Now, there are two approved therapies shown to make a difference in COVID-19 and 150 treatments and more than 50 antivirals are being tested in people.
• How Moderna developed a coronavirus vaccine candidate in ‘a few days’
  Fortune – July 7, 2020
  Biotech company Moderna Therapeutics has never had a treatment approved—but is a leading contender in the race for a coronavirus vaccine.
• Regeneron Advances COVID-19 Drug Into Later-Stage Testing
  Wall Street Journal – July 6, 2020
  Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday it is starting later-stage studies of its experimental COVID-19 drug, a quick move into testing that could establish whether the drug can be used for treatment and prevention.
• A New Generation of Fast Coronavirus Tests Is Coming
  New York Times – July 6, 2020
  Researchers around the world are working on the next generation of coronavirus tests that give answers in less than an hour, without onerous equipment or highly trained personnel.
• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Phase I Promise
  Labiotech – July 3, 2020
  Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech’s vaccine has produced antibodies against the COVID-19 pathogen in healthy volunteers.
• Bay Area doctors explain the COVID-19 treatments they’re using now
  San Francisco Chronicle – July 3, 2020
  There is no cure or vaccine yet for COVID-19. Still, Bay Area doctors now have months of experience treating the illness, using what they’ve learned from similar respiratory diseases while absorbing new research and trying out different drugs to help people heal.

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].