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The bottom of the ocean is full of mysteries but scientists have recently uncovered one of its best-kept secrets. For 25 years, drug hunters have been searching for the source of a natural chemical that had shown promise in initial studies for treating cancer. Now, researchers at University of Utah Health report that easy-to-find soft corals - flexible corals that resemble underwater plants - make the elusive compound.

Researchers with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) have identified a new molecular drug target that could result in new cancer drugs with fewer side effects.

Previous studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) ­- a potent cytokine (signaling protein) - and dopamine (a neurotransmitter/neurohormone) ­­play essential roles in many physiological and pathological functions.

Drug shortages pose a significant public health threat as they can delay, and in some cases, even deny critically needed care for patients. Over the past decade, the FDA’s efforts have contributed to fewer new drug shortages and reduced the time to resolve existing drug shortages. This is due, in part, to authorities the agency now has, including those added by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.

In unvaccinated people, infection with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 provides little long-term immunity against other variants, according to a new study by researchers at Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco (UCSF), published today in the journal Nature.

In experiments using mice and blood samples from donors who were infected with Omicron, the team found that the Omicron variant induces only a weak immune response.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), through its Global Access Program, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are joining forces to build and strengthen diagnostic capacity and pandemic preparedness in low-and middle-income countries fighting against HIV and tuberculosis (TB).

The profound health and economic impact of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during its first year of rollout in the US is described in detail in a new study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Economics.

It is estimated that in 2021 the vaccine, the most widely used against COVID-19 in the US, prevented 8.7 million symptomatic cases of the virus, as well as 690,000 hospitalizations and more than 110,000 deaths.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE, "Pfizer") and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, "BioNTech") announced they have reached an agreement with the European Commission (EC) to amend their originally agreed contractual delivery schedules for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

Vaccines based on inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus are commonly used in developing countries due to their low cost. New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that a booster shot of mRNA vaccine to individuals who have received two doses of inactivated vaccine offers the same level of protection against COVID-19 as three doses of mRNA vaccine.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has extended its commitment to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) Humanitarian Aid Program until the end of 2028. Roche’s prophylactic treatment will be provided to the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program to continue to treat as many as 1,000 people with haemophilia A in locations where there is little to no access to treatment.

Despite the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns worldwide, the threat posed by COVID-19 still exists. First of all, a new SARS-CoV-2 variant could very well emerge that may not respond to current vaccines. Secondly, the efficacy of the vaccines in the long term remains unknown. Lastly, cases of acute infection are continuing to be reported. And yet, there is no effective treatment to date.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Pfizer will acquire Biohaven, the maker of NURTEC® ODT, an innovative dual-acting migraine therapy approved for both acute treatment and episodic prevention of migraine in adults.

When a non-metastatic brain tumor - a meningioma - recurs after surgery and radiation treatment, a patient is out of options. No drugs are approved for these aggressive tumors, which occur in up to 20% of cases and can lead to patient disability or even death.

But now Northwestern Medicine scientists, in an international collaboration with scientists at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Hong Kong, have identified a drug that inhibits growth of the most aggressive meningiomas and how to most accurately identify which meningiomas will respond to the drug.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has limited the authorized use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older for whom other authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate, and to individuals 18 years of age and older who elect to receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine because they would otherwise not receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

In animal studies that mimic human exposures, an investigational COVID vaccine designed to be taken orally not only protects the host, but also decreases the airborne spread of the virus to other close contacts.

The study, led by Duke researcher Stephanie N. Langel, Ph.D., demonstrated the potential of a COVID vaccine that works through the mucosal tissue to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus, limiting infections and the spread of active virus in airborne particles.

Researchers at the University of Missouri are applying a form of artificial intelligence (AI) - previously used to analyze how National Basketball Association (NBA) players move their bodies - to now help scientists develop new drug therapies for medical treatments targeting cancers and other diseases.

Sanofi today launches Foundation S - The Sanofi Collective, its philanthropic endowment fund aiming to create healthier futures for generations. Using donations, partnerships and collective action, Foundation S will focus on three critical areas: childhood cancer, the health of communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and pollution, and access to lifesaving medicines and vaccines.

Cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points, say a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London.

The findings, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, emerge from the NIHR COVID-19 BioResource.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) shared top-line results from the Phase 2/3 EPIC-PEP (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) study evaluating PAXLOVID™ (nirmatrelvir [PF-07321332] tablets and ritonavir tablets) for post-exposure prophylactic use. In this trial, compared to placebo, Pfizer observed risk reductions of 32% and 37% in adults who received PAXLOVID for five and ten days, respectively, to prevent infection.

SK bioscience and GSK announced submission of a biologics license application for SKYCovione™ a recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate adjuvanted with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant, to the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (KMFDS) following positive Phase III clinical data.

Currently available therapies to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) lack precision and can lead to serious side effects. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now developed a method for identifying the immune cells involved in autoimmune diseases, and have identified four new target molecules of potential significance for future personalised treatment of MS.