Drug Discovery

NIAID grants $2.5m to 12 institutes for bacteriophage therapy research

A branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has granted $2.5m to 12 institutes across the world for bacteriophage therapy research.

Bharat Biotech’s Phase III interim results of COVAXIN demonstrate efficacy of 81%

Biopharmaceutical company Ocugen has announced that its co-development partner, Bharat Biotech, announced the results of the first interim analysis of its Phase 3 study of COVAXIN, which is a whole virion inactivated Covid vaccine candidate.

Boehringer Ingelheim, Gubra to validate new Peptides for obesity

Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into a new research and licensing agreement with biotech company Gubra to identify and validate innovative peptides to treat obesity.

Merck signs agreement to purchase Pandion Therapeutics

World’s leading biopharmaceutical firm Merck has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Pandion Therapeutics through a subsidiary, for a total equity value of about $1.85m.

UCB expands partnership with Microsoft to speed up drug development

Belgium-based biopharmaceutical firm UCB has expanded its collaboration with technology company Microsoft to accelerate discovery and development of drugs for people living with severe diseases in immunology and neurology.

GSK and CureVac sign collaboration deal for production of next-gen Covid-19 vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline has signed a €150m collaboration agreement with German global pharmaceutical company CureVac in a bid to jointly develop next-generation mRNA vaccines for Covid-19.

Existing drug offers targeted treatment for aggressive breast cancer

A new study claims palbociclib, an approved breast cancer drug, can treat an aggressive form of the cancer, bringing hope to thousands of afflicted women in the UK.

Merck discontinues Covid-19 vaccine candidates on grounds of poor performance

American pharma giant Merck has announced that it has discontinued the development of its SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 vaccine candidates V590 and V591, after they performed poorly in phase 1 clinical trials.

In vitro study finds Pfizer, BioNTech’s vaccine could inhibit Covid-19 caused by UK strain

Pfizer and BioNTech have revealed results of an in vitro study that offers additional data on the capability of sera obtained from people who were immunised with their Covid-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, to neutralise the B.1.1.7 lineage (VOC 202012/01).