June 12, 2020

The California Biotechnology Foundation is committed to keeping you up to date on COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention advancements. The following resources track what progress has been made as of June 12, 2020. Notable advancements include:

• Moderna will start a trial of 30,000 volunteers of its much-anticipated coronavirus vaccine in July as the company enters the final stage of testing.
• AstraZeneca has begun repurposing and studying their arsenal of cancer treatments to help COVID-19 patients experiencing extreme immune reactions.
• Eli Lilly and Co COVID-19 treatment could be authorized as early as September if all goes well with antibody therapies it is testing.

​Recent News:

• Moderna to start final testing stage of coronavirus vaccine in July|
  CNBC – June 11, 2020
  Moderna on Thursday confirmed it plans to start a trial of 30,000 volunteers of its much-anticipated coronavirus vaccine in July as the company enters the final stage of testing.
• Regeneron brings first COVID-19 antibody treatment into human tests
  BioPharma Dive – June 11, 2020
  Regeneron on Thursday began the first human trials of a medicine that’s designed to treat, and possibly prevent coronavirus infection.
• Five Coronavirus Treatments In Development
  NPR – June 11, 2020
  There’s an urgent need for better therapies to treat COVID-19. The good news is that there are some on the horizon. Some are being tested now, some will begin testing soon, and others are in the beginning of the pipeline.
• SARS antibodies block coronavirus infections, study shows
  San Francisco Chronicle – June 11, 2020
  Antibodies from people who recovered from SARS — a deadly respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus that emerged nearly 20 years ago — may be critical to fighting COVID-19, according to a study in the journal Nature.
• Polio vaccine could give temporary protection against COVID-19, scientists hope
  NBC News – June 11, 2020
  As the world waits for a coronavirus vaccine, some scientists are proposing that existing vaccines could give the body’s immune system a much-needed temporary boost to stave off infection.
• Lilly COVID-19 treatment could be authorized for use as soon as September – chief scientist
  Reuters – June 10, 2020
  Eli Lilly and Co could have a drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 authorized for use as early as September if all goes well with either of two antibody therapies it is testing, its chief scientist told Reuters on Wednesday.
• AstraZeneca, already a leader in coronavirus vaccine race, steps up antibody drug work
  BioPharma Dive – June 9, 2020
  AstraZeneca on Tuesday provided the most detailed update yet on its efforts to develop antibody-based coronavirus drugs, which could either treat people who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 or provide short-term protection for people who have been exposed.
• UCSF studying stem cells as possible coronavirus treatment
  San Francisco Chronicle – June 8, 2020
  UCSF’s Dr. Michael Matthay wasn’t thinking about a pandemic in January when he launched a clinical trial to investigate whether certain stem cells could effectively treat a serious form of respiratory failure.
• AstraZeneca Cancer Drug Shows Early Signs of Promise in COVID-19
  Bloomberg – June 5, 2020
  A small study in 19 people suggested a drug from AstraZeneca Plc’s arsenal of cancer treatments may be repurposed to help COVID-19 patients experiencing extreme immune reactions.
• Blood pressure drugs linked to lower COVID-19 mortality, study shows
  CNBC – June 5, 2020
  Widely used drugs to control high blood pressure may help protect against severe COVID-19, a new study found, allaying concerns that they could make the illness caused by the coronavirus worse.

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].