Executive Summary
The Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) is a membership organization, established in the late 1960s, representing biopharmaceutical manufacturers (or their local representatives) that through research invent and develop medicines and technologies (e.g., Biopharmaceuticals, Vaccine Healthcare, Medical devices, Diagnostics) that significantly improve people’s lives. KAPI represents the industry voice and promotes efficiency in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that medical products and healthcare technologies of the highest quality can be readily available for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases.
Weekly Brief:
This is a roundup of news allied to the biopharmaceutical industry with a bearing on our mission to improve access to lifesaving health products and technologies for positive health outcomes.
- A preliminary study in South Africa by University of Oxford and University of Witwatersrand have indicated inability of AstraZeneca/Oxford Vaccine to protect against mild and moderate forms of the new variant of the disease prevalent in South Africa. (The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times). On the backdrop of this, AstraZeneca and Oxford University have ventured into developing a new and improved vaccine with efficacy against the new COVID-19 variant in South Africa (Telegraph). The South African government now plans to give health workers the J&J vaccine instead (ABC News). This emerging evidence poses a challenge to other African countries on whether to use the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine as well (Financial Times).
- The WHO have advised use of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine on all adults above 18years of age (Financial Times | UN News).
- In efforts to boost EU COVID-19 Vaccine supplies, BioNTech reported having started production in their new facility in Germany (Medical Xpress)
- Single dose of Pfizer vaccine shows signs of success in the UK which may make it feasible to extend gap between doses in a vaccination schedule (Financial Times)
- Calling for an end to vaccine nationalism UNICEF Executive Director and WHO Director General urged governments to promote equitable access arguing that in this pandemic we have an option to win together or lose together. (WHO)
- AstraZeneca plans to double up on their vaccine production to cover for shortfalls in supply that were witnessed at the start of the year. This was highlighted in the review of financial position for the previous year. (The Wall Street Journal)
- Generic inhaled corticosteroid budesonide shows promise in treatment of COVID-19 in a small scale clinical trial (Pharma Phorum | Reuters)
- There is a rising mortality as Africa marks one year since outbreak of COVID-19 on the backdrop of a surge in variants. (WHO African Region)
- Dermapharm aims to start producing Pfizer vaccines at a second site in efforts to aid the drug maker meet its target of 2 billion doses by the end of the year. (Reuters)
- Eli Lilly COVID-19 antibody combination gets FDA emergency authorization (Bloomberg)
- Experts state that COVID-19 unlikely to have come from a lab following preliminary investigations (UN News)
- Sinovac reports that their COVID-19 vaccine showed positive results in preventing hospitalization and death from two studies conducted in Brazil and Turkey (Reuters)
- Pfizer vaccine effective against UK and South Africa variants of COVID-19 ( AA Com)
- Moderna vaccine effective against new variants of the virus (News Medical Life Sciences)