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COVID-19 vaccines minus the needle?
By Thomas Curwen - Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES With 13 COVID-19 vaccines in use around the world, pharmaceutical companies are exploring second-generation technology that could change how doses are administered and distributed.
These vaccines could be taken orally as a capsule that could be swallowed, as a tablet that dissolves under the tongue or as a nasal spray. Such formulations would not require refrigeration, nor would they need health care workers to administer them.
The efforts are in early stages with no guarantee of success. Research and development costs are steep, and only a small number of companies none with a vaccine currently authorized for use are exploring these alternate methods. The work may seem like a gamble but could play a critical role in ending the pandemic.
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With 13 COVID-19 vaccines in use around the world, pharmaceutical companies are exploring second-generation technology that could change how doses are administered and distributed.
These vaccines could be taken orally as a capsule that could be swallowed, as a tablet that dissolves under the tongue or as a nasal spray. Such formulations would not require refrigeration, nor would they need healthcare workers to administer them.
The efforts are in early stages with no guarantee of success. Research and development costs are steep, and only a small number of companies none with a vaccine currently authorized for use are exploring these alternate methods. The work may seem like a gamble but could play a critical role in ending the pandemic.
The Race To Keep Antibody Treatments One Step Ahead Of Covid-19 Variants
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Scientists working on the development of human monoclonal antibodies against coronavirus (Photo by Gianluca Panella/Getty Images)
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Antibody therapies have been a key tool in keeping patients out of hospitals, but drug companies are fighting to stay ahead of coronavirus mutations.
Last year, as the Covid-19 pandemic raged across the country, filling hospitals beyond capacity, biotech companies raced to develop new treatments and vaccines. Pharma company Eli Lilly, for example, partnered with Vancouver-based AbCellera to develop an antibody treatment. That partnership began in February 2020, and by May the new drug, bamlanivimab was already in clinical trials. Six months later, in November, the company received an emergency use authorization from the FDA, and the Federal government contracted for 950,000 doses of the treatment at a price of $1.2 billion. �