Looking at past test samples, Dutch officials have detected the Omicron variant in cases dating back as far as Nov. 19, adding further evidence that the variant arrived in Europe well before the first cases were detected in South Africa.
The samples in question were taken on Nov. 19 and 23, according to the country’s health institute, RIVM.
‘It is not yet clear whether these people had also visited southern Africa,’ the RIVM said in a statement.
On Nov. 26, the country tested 624 people returning from South Africa, 61 of whom were positive for Covid-19, and 14 of whom had the Omicron variant. Lab tests confirmed different strains of the variant among the 14 travelers, meaning they were likely infected independently of each other.
‘RIVM will be retroactively examining older samples from laboratories that routinely perform the special PCR test,’ to look for earlier cases of the variant, the institute said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has detected the concerning variant in cases dating back to October, according to a Reuters report. And Belgium and Germany have also confirmed cases in their countries before South Africa alerted the world last week, CBS News reported. On Tuesday, EMA director Emer Cooke said the variant was found in at least 10 European countries, per Reuters.
The WHO says it’s not yet clear whether the new variant is more transmissible or if it can cause more severe disease than other variants like Delta — and understanding the level of risk could take days to several weeks.
‘All variants of Covid-19, including the Delta variant that is dominant worldwide, can cause severe disease or death, in particular for the most vulnerable people, and thus prevention is always key,’ the organization said in a statement.
While Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel warned of a ‘material drop’ in vaccine efficacy, BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin said he expects that the company’s Pfizer-partnered shot will continue to offer protection against severe disease. Both Moderna and Pfizer have said they will begin developing booster shots specifically tailored to the Omicron variant.
US to tighten travel restrictions — report
As more and more countries begin detecting cases of the Omicron variant, the US is reportedly considering tighter travel restrictions.
CDC officials told Reuters the agency is looking to require that all air travelers coming into the country provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test performed within one day of departure. Currently, vaccinated travelers can take up to three days to get a negative test.
Officials also told Reuters that they’re considering requiring air travelers to get another Covid test three to five days after arrival.
On Monday, the US banned travel for non-US citizens from South Africa, which was the first to report cases of the Omicron variant, and seven other southern African countries. The following day, the CDC added Niger, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, to its list of 80 discouraged travel locations.
While oncology researchers have long pursued the potential of cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, it was unclear whether these therapies would ever reach patients due to the complexity of manufacturing and costs of development. Fortunately, the recent successful development and regulatory approval of chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T (CAR-T) cells have demonstrated the significant benefit of these therapies to patients.
Stéphane Bancel, Moderna CEO
Even as public health officials remain guarded about their comments on the likelihood Omicron will escape the reach of the currently approved Covid-19 vaccines, there’s growing scientific consensus that we’re facing a variant that threatens to overwhelm the vaccine barricades that have been erected.
Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, one of the leading mRNA players whose quick vault into the markets with a highly effective vaccine created an instant multibillion-dollar market, added his voice to the rising chorus early Tuesday. According to Bancel, there will be a significant drop in efficacy when the average immune system is confronted by Omicron. The only question now is: How much?
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The nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review on Wednesday released a new report highlighting the ways in which payers are generally ensuring fair access to prescription drugs, even when based on a set of criteria set by the nonprofit.
While noting the lack of transparency hindered the report’s results, ICER said that the ‘great majority’ of payer policies in the formularies evaluated are structured in a way to support many key elements of how ICER defines ‘fair access.’
Reshma Kewalramani, Vertex CEO (Vertex via YouTube)
Vertex claimed its second early-stage win of the fall Wednesday, announcing positive results in a small study on a genetically defined form of kidney disease.
The 16-patient, Phase II trial focused on patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare disease where kidneys are unable to filter blood properly. Over 13 weeks on an experimental pill, the level of protein in the patients’ urine fell by an average of 47.6%.
Ugur Sahin, BioNTech CEO (Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa via AP Images)
Whereas some public health officials and biopharma leaders — including Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel — are sounding the alarm over the new Omicron coronavirus variant, BioNTech chief Ugur Sahin is pressing a more cautious approach.
In interviews Tuesday with the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, Sahin cautioned that little is yet known of the variant’s ability to cause severe Covid-19, and T cell responses among the vaccinated would likely remain strong. Though the biotech is still conducting lab tests to determine whether antibody protection will be diminished, Sahin isn’t pressing the panic button.
Paul Hudson, Sanofi CEO (Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Paul Hudson has spotlighted vaccines, immunology and dermatology as some of the top R&D focuses at Sanofi. His latest deal brings all of them together.
The French pharma giant isn’t sharing any financial details about the buyout of Origimm, a low-profile, private Austrian biotech whose technology promises to identify antigens causing skin disease and build vaccines against them. Their lead candidate targets acne vulgaris.
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Philip Dormitzer, new GSK global head of vaccines R&D
GlaxoSmithKline has appointed Philip Dormitzer, formerly chief scientific officer of Pfizer’s viral vaccines unit, as its newest global head of vaccines R&D, looking to leverage one of the leading minds behind Pfizer and BioNTech’s RNA collaboration that led to Covid-19 jab Comirnaty, the British drug giant said Tuesday.
Dormitzer had been with Pfizer for a little more than six years, joining up after a seven-year stint with Novartis, where he reached the role of US head of research and head of global virology for the company’s vaccines and diagnostics unit.
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With little explanation for why Merck’s potential Covid-19 antiviral was less effective in reducing Covid hospitalizations and deaths in a full analysis of a Phase III trial versus an interim look, the FDA’s antimicrobial drugs advisory committee on Tuesday voted 13-10 in favor of the pill’s benefits outweighing the risks for adults within 5 days of developing Covid symptoms.
Molnupiravir will likely be authorized by FDA in the coming days for adults with mild or moderate Covid-19. While Pfizer’s antiviral may prove to be more effective, Merck’s pill will be another weapon in the armamentarium of Covid-19 treatments for countries around the world, adding to the mAb treatments already in use in the outpatient space from Regeneron, Eli Lilly and Vir/GlaxoSmithKline.
https://endpts.com/covid-19-roundup-old-test-samples-suggest-omicron-has-been-in-europe-for-weeks-us-to-tighten-travel-restrictions-report/
