• Johnson & Johnson has entered the final stage of testing for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, enrolling 60,000 volunteers in a landmark study.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the first antibody point-of-care test for COVID-19.
• Lumen Bioscience was awarded a $4 million grant by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command to develop a biologic drug to treat gastrointestinal (GI) infection in COVID-19 patients.

Recent News:

• Merck, advancing single-dose and oral coronavirus vaccines, could still make Warp Speed: Bloomberg
  FiercePharma – September 25, 2020
  Merck & Co. is testing a vaccine that could be given orally, which would “help lower the barrier to vaccination should it be effective,” Merck R&D chief Roger Perlmutter said.
• Lumen Bioscience Receives $4 Million Grant to Develop COVID-19 GI Therapies
  BioSpace – September 24, 2020
  Seattle-based Lumen Bioscience was awarded a $4 million grant by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, operating via the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium, to develop a rapid, scalable and inexpensive biologic drug to treat gastrointestinal (GI) infection in COVID-19 patients.
• Johnson &Johnson just launched a pivotal 60,000-person COVID-19 vaccine trial, and we could learn if the shot works by the end of 2020
  Business Insider – September 23, 2020 
  Johnson & Johnson started giving its experimental COVID-19 vaccine to a 60,000 person group of volunteers, marking the final stage of testing for the shot.
• FDA Authorizes First Point-of-Care Antibody Test for COVID-19
  FDA.gov – September 23, 2020
  Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the first antibody point-of-care test for COVID-19.
• Possible virus vulnerability discovered; about 20% of people with COVID-19 remain asymptomatic
  Reuters – September 23, 2020
  Most people infected with the COVID-19 will have symptoms, according to researchers who reviewed data from nearly 80 studies of individuals with positive PCR tests for COVID-19 and overall, just 20% remained asymptomatic.
• AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial remains on hold in the U.S., HHS chief Azar says
  CNBC – September 23, 2020 
  AstraZeneca’s late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial in the U.S. remains on hold as federal investigators seek “answers to important questions” over its safety for patients, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC.
• Pfizer Is On Track to Be First to Find Out If Its COVID-19 Vaccine Works
  Bloomberg – September 22, 2020 
  The COVID-19 vaccine trial designed by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE may allow them to find whether their shot works before their fastest-moving rivals.
• Eli Lilly CEO: Speed and industry cooperation are aiding COVID-19 treatment development
  CNBC – September 21, 2020 
  Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks told CNBC the pharmaceutical industry’s pursuit of treatments and vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic has been defined by two qualities: speed and cooperation.