Covid evolution wipes out another antibody treatment, threatening the country’s medicine cabinet
STAT (11/30)
Additional coverage from Reuters (11/30) and The Hill (11/30)
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration ended the emergency authorization for Eli Lilly’s bebtelovimab, due to new variants against which the treatment is ineffective. Prior to this, bebtelovimab was the only COVID-19 antibody therapy still cleared for use. This news comes after several other antibody therapies were also made ineffective by the growth of new subvariants. While there are other updated antibody therapies in development, they will likely not be authorized for some time. Other COVID-19 treatments, including Paxlovid and Remdesivir, remain available although limitations prevent their wide use.
Disease X: Taskforce unveils plan to develop vaccine in 100 days to prevent next pandemic
Express (11/30)
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has published a new plan for the development of a vaccine for “Disease X,” a pathogen with pandemic potential that has yet been identified. The plan calls for a vaccine within 100 days of the release of its genetic sequence. It was developed in collaboration with international health bodies, vaccine producers, researchers, and regulatory authorities, and identifies steps and investments needed far in advance of the identification of a disease outbreak.
Drug clears sleeping sickness parasite from the body in clinical trial
New Scientist (11/29)
New results from a small trial found that a single pill of acoziborole given to participants with sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) in the late stages of infection has a 95 percent success rate at 18 months posttreatment and a 100 percent success rate among participants with an early-to-intermediary infection. The study, carried out by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, identifies the dug as a safe, effective oral therapy with incredible strengths compared to the currently used treatment, fexinidazole, which has a lower efficacy rate, must be taken more often, and has several common side effects.
