Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sanofi Halts Work On Its Covid Vaccine
The Wall Street Journal: Sanofi Ends A Covid-19 Vaccine Effort, Saying Market Is Already Well Served
Sanofi won’t proceed with the development of one of its experimental Covid-19 vaccines, saying it didn’t make sense to go forward in an already-crowded market. The decision comes despite promising early results for the shot. The French healthcare giant said Tuesday that the vaccine—a so-called mRNA shot that uses the same technology as shots developed by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. —produced neutralizing antibodies against the virus in early-stage clinical trials. But it said it had decided not to proceed with larger studies, called Phase 3 trials, which would be required to win regulatory approval. (Roland, 9/28)
Stat: With Solid Data On MRNA Covid Vaccine, Sanofi Looks To Other Pathogens
French vaccine giant Sanofi announced positive results of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its first mRNA vaccine on Tuesday, saying the early findings with a Covid-19 vaccine give the company confidence to shift gears on its mRNA program to pursue vaccines for other pathogens. The first in its sights is an influenza vaccine Sanofi hopes to begin testing in clinical trials next year. (Branswell, 9/28)
In other research about covid treatments —
CBS News: Pfizer Is Testing A Pill To Ward Off COVID-19
Pfizer said Monday that it is now testing a pill that could help people ward off COVID-19 if a close contact, such as family member, gets the virus. The drugmaker said it is looking at the efficacy of the pill as used in combination with a low dose of the HIV drug ritonavir in people who are at least 18 years old and live in the same household with someone who has COVID-19. Pfizer plans to enroll 2,660 people in the late-stage study. Those participating will get either the treatment combination or a fake drug orally twice a day for five to 10 days. (9/27)
CIDRAP: Anticoagulants Linked With Reduced COVID Hospitalization, Death
Taking anticoagulants before contracting COVID-19 is associated with a 43% lower risk for hospital admission, and receiving anticoagulants while in the hospital is tied to a lower death rate, according to a study published late last week in EClinicalMedicine. The researchers created a retrospective cohort of 6,195 adults with COVID-19 across M Health Fairview hospitals and clinics in the midwestern United States from Mar 4 to Aug 27, 2020. Of these, 598 were immediately hospitalized and the remainder were initially treated as outpatients. Overall, case fatality was 2.8%, with hospitalized patients having a 13% mortality rate, and the researchers note that 5.9% of outpatients eventually needed hospitalization. (9/27)
