CAPE TOWN – A new COVID-19 variant with a “very unusual constellation of mutations” – currently referred to as B.1.1.529 – has been identified in southern Africa, South Africa’s Health Ministry announced on Thursday. On Friday, WHO dubbed the variant “Omicron”, adding it to its list of variants of concern – even as the European […] Continue reading ->
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to condemn COVID-19 vaccine boosters in the face of global vaccine inequity, a top official conceded that they looked increasingly likely in future. “The first priority everywhere has got to be reaching the unvaccinated, most highly vulnerable populations,” stressed Dr Bruce Aylward, special advisor to the WHO Director-General. […] Continue reading ->
The first non-exclusive license for a COVID-19 health tool – a serological antibody test that checks for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies – has been finalised by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).   The license, announced on Tuesday in partnership with the Spanish National Research […] Continue reading ->
Pfizer has signed a voluntary license with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to share the patents and knowledge to manufacture its new COVID-19 treatment drug, Paxlovid.  According to the agreement, the MPP will be able to granting sub-licenses to qualified generic medicine manufacturers to supply the medicine in 95 countries, once regulatory authorization or approval […] Continue reading ->