- Novavax, which makes the only protein-based vaccine, plans to have their JN.1 Covid-19 booster ready by mid-July, if approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The company says their JN.1 vaccine is active against newer FLiRT variants KP.2 and KP.3, which have been spreading widely this summer. Still, the FDA requested that vaccine makers target the KP.2 strain. Competitors Moderna and Pfizer said they are able to have mRNA vaccines of either JN.1 or KP.2 by the fall, according to STAT. “KP.2 [vaccine] may be better. But it could also be worse,” said David Wentworth of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- The Department of Human and Health Services (HSS) announced $500 million in funding for its Project NextGen to speed up research into new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. The money will be used to accelerate Phase 2 clinical trials on three vaccines, two intranasal (administered through the nose) and one oral pill vaccine. Each trial will enroll 10,000 participants — half will receive one of the new investigational vaccines while the other half will get FDA-approved vaccines.
- The drug company argenex announced this week that they will not advance research into a drug for Long Covid-triggered postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). A Phase 2 clinical trial found that the immunotherapy drug efgartigimod did not show improvement of clinical significance in people with Long Covid, based on qualitative questionnaires. The advocacy group Dysautonomia International wrote a thread about the trial and have asked argenex to allow researchers to publish the negative results so that this trial can inform future research.
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