• Regeneron issues a press release with an analysis of results from 275 people in its phase I/II/III trial of REGN-COV2 , an investigational antibody cocktail, reporting that it reduced viral load and improved symptoms in people with COVID-19 who were not hospitalized – especially those who did not mount an immune response to the virus. Source
• A phase I trial of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, in people age 56-70 years and ages 71 years and over, reports that antibody and T-cell immune responses were similar to those among younger trial participants – and people who recovered from COVID-19 – although the sample size was small and not ethnically diverse. The most common adverse events were headache, fatigue, myalgia, chills, and injection-site pain, which were mostly mild-to-moderate, and resolved quickly – and did not differ in frequency and severity to those reported among younger trial participants. Source
• The World Bank announces a plan to provide $12 billion to LMIC for “fair and equitable” access to coronavirus vaccines that have been subject to tough regulatory scrutiny to ensure access to, and rapid immunization of as many people in LMIC as possible. Through the initiative, countries could purchase vaccines on their own, jointly or through procurement mechanisms. Source
• The Washington Post publishes an opinion piece written by seven former FDA heads warning that political interference and pressure to approve a coronavirus vaccine will undermine the agency’s credibility, saying that people will only choose to receive a vaccine if they have “…widespread confidence that the vaccine approval was based on sound science and not politics.” Source
