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 October 9, 2020. Notable advancements include:

• Eli Lilly & Co. released new data and said its antibody treatment effectively reduces levels of COVID-19 in patients, keeping them out of emergency rooms and hospitals.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval of its experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment.
• GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, after positive initial results, will expand their trial of an experimental antibody to treat COVID-19. The trial will now expand to 1,300 patients globally.

Recent News:

• COVID-19 Vaccine-Trial Volunteers Look to Make a Difference
  Wall Street Journal – October 8, 2020
  Tens of thousands of Americans are already participating in Phase 3 Covid vaccine trials, while thousands more will be recruited for additional trials beginning soon. They are the tip of the spear in the global fight against the virus.
• Takeda, Other Firms Test COVID-19 Convalescent-Plasma Treatment
  Wall Street Jounral – October 8, 2020
  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said a group of companies including Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. began testing an experimental treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients that is derived from the convalescent plasma of people who have recovered from the new coronavirus.
• Moderna won’t enforce COVID-19 vaccine patents during the pandemic
  FiercePharma – October 8, 2020 
  Moderna, a biotech company advancing one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates says it won’t enforce its vaccine patents against other companies during the pandemic.
• An Open Letter from Daniel O’Day, Chairman & CEO, Gilead Sciences
  Gilead – October 8, 2020
  With the publication of new data on remdesivir in the New England Journal of Medicine, we have the clearest picture yet of the medicine’s impact on COVID-19. Over the past months, we had already generated a wealth of clinical data on the benefits of remdesivir, providing much-needed hope to patients and healthcare providers worldwide.
• UC San Diego Sets Up COVID-19 Vaccine Trial In National City
  KPBS – October 8, 2020
  UC San Diego is getting ready to launch a COVID-19 Janssen Pharmaceuticals vaccine trial. Dr. Katherine Promer, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Diego, said the university may begin the trial as early as next week.
• Eli Lilly says its monoclonal antibody treatment is effective in treating COVID-19
  STAT – October 7, 2020
  Eli Lilly released new data and said its antibody treatment effectively reduces levels of COVID-19 in patients keeping them out of emergency rooms and hospitals.
• AstraZeneca Expects U.S. Trial Update Within Two Weeks, Analyst Says
  Bloomberg – October 7, 2020 
  AstraZeneca expects its coronavirus vaccine under development with the University of Oxford and could resume trials in the U.S. this year.
• Regeneron Asks F.D.A. for Emergency Approval For Antibody Treatment
  New York Times – October 7, 2020 
  The drugmaker Regeneron said that it had submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval of its experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment.
• GlaxoSmithKline to widen COVID-19 antibody treatment trial after safety clearance
  CNBC – October 6, 2020 
  GlaxoSmithKline and partner Vir Biotechnology will expand their trial of an experimental antibody to treat COVID-19 after initial use by a group of volunteers did not raise any safety concerns. The trial will now expand as planned to 1,300 patients globally.
• UC Davis conducting clinical trials of experimental COVID-19 drug
  Sacramento Bee – October 3, 2020 
  Dr. Timothy Albertson said that he hopes COVID-19 patients at Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center will be willing to join a clinical trial of the experimental antibody treatment produced by Regeneron.
• Biotech Industry Pushes Administration to Release New Vaccine Guidelines
  New York Times – October 2, 2020 
  The new vaccine guidelines, which have been drafted by experts at the Food and Drug Administration and are subject to White House approval, would set forth specific criteria for clinical trial and safety data, add another layer of caution to the vaccine vetting process.