Abbott Labs Earnings, Revenue Beat in Q2

 Abbott Labs (NYSE:ABT) reported on Thursday second quarter earnings that beat analysts' forecasts and revenue that topped expectations.

Abbott Labs announced earnings per share of $1.17 on revenue of $10.22B. Analysts polled by Investing.com anticipated EPS of $1.02 on revenue of $9.69B.

Abbott Labs shares are up 8% from the beginning of the year, still down 7.44% from its 52 week high of $128.54 set on February 12. They are under-performing the S&P 500 which is up 16.04% from the start of the year.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/abbott-labs-earnings-revenue-beat-in-q2-2565124

Seres microbiome therapy for ulcerative colitis falls short in Phase 2

 Seres Therapeutics’ highly anticipated clinical trial in ulcerative colitis failed to meet its primary endpoint, the company announced Thursday. Seres, which is focused on microbiome therapeutics, is also shutting down two ongoing open label and maintenance studies of the therapy.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/07/22/seres-therapeutics-ulcerative-colitis-therapy-falls-short/

NRx Pharma: First Successful Commercial Formulation for ZYESAMI for Covid

 NRx Pharmaceuticals (NRx) (Nasdaq: NRXP) announced today it has validated the first commercial formulation of ZYESAMI™ (aviptadil) for intravenous use, allowing for high volume manufacture, with an anticipated one year or greater stability, under appropriate storage conditions. Simultaneously, NRx has achieved a 30-to-50-fold increase in its manufactured lot size of aviptadil, with a concurrent 90% reduction in the cost of its peptide supply. These two developments position NRx to potentially deliver millions of doses of ZYESAMI™ as potential regulatory approvals are obtained in various regions worldwide.

"When we began developing aviptadil for treatment of COVID-19, we discovered that the original RLF-100 formulation and manufacturing method had only a few weeks of stability, leaving hospitals unable to stock the investigational medicine in pharmacies, and leaving aviptadil out of consideration for national strategic stockpiles. Moreover, the high cost of peptide and an inability to manufacture more than 100 grams a month limited the commercial utility of aviptadil," said Prof Jonathan Javitt, MD, MPH, Chairman and CEO of NRx. "We have now turned the corner and can produce both the aviptadil peptide and finished medicine in million dose quantities. We have also developed and validated the first modern chromatography assays required to ensure the purity and stability of the drug product. The new formulation method and high-speed manufacturing process adapts to the fragile nature of vasoactive intestinal peptide."

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nrx-pharmaceuticals-announces-first-successful-commercial-formulation-for-zyesami-aviptadil-enabling-volume-manufacture-shipping-and-stockpiling-of-covid-19-medication-subject-to-regulatory-approval-301339154.html

Quest Diagnostics Earnings, Revenue Beat in Q2

 Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) reported on Thursday second quarter earnings that beat analysts' forecasts and revenue that topped expectations.

Quest Diagnostics announced earnings per share of $3.18 on revenue of $2.55B. Analysts polled by Investing.com anticipated EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $2.39B.

Quest Diagnostics shares are up 13.99% from the beginning of the year, still down 4.92% from its 52 week high of $142.80 set on May 10. They are under-performing the S&P 500 which is up 16.04% from the start of the year.

https://www.investing.com/news/quest-diagnostics-earnings-revenue-beat-in-q2-2565068

Biogen Earnings, Revenue Beat in Q2

 Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) reported on Thursday second quarter earnings that beat analysts' forecasts and revenue that topped expectations.

Biogen announced earnings per share of $5.68 on revenue of $2.78B. Analysts polled by Investing.com anticipated EPS of $4.6 on revenue of $2.61B.

Biogen shares are up 31% from the beginning of the year, still down 31.02% from its 52 week high of $468.20 set on June 7. They are outperforming the Nasdaq 100 which is up 15.16% from the start of the year.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/biogen-earnings-revenue-beat-in-q2-2565084

Two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca shots effective against delta variant: study

  Two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine are nearly as effective against the highly transmissible delta coronavirus variant as they are against the previously dominant alpha variant, a study published on Wednesday showed.

Officials say vaccines are highly effective against the delta variant, now the dominant variant worldwide, though the study reiterated that one shot of the vaccines is not enough for high protection.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirms headline findings given by Public Health England in May about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca, based on real-world data.

Wednesday’s study found that two doses of Pfizer’s shot was 88% effective at preventing symptomatic disease from the delta variant, compared with 93.7% against the alpha variant, broadly the same as previously reported.

Two shots of AstraZeneca vaccine were 67% effective against the delta variant, up from 60% originally reported, and 74.5% effective against the alpha variant, compared to an original estimate of 66% effectiveness.

“Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the Delta variant as compared with the Alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses,” Public Health England researchers wrote in the study.

Data from Israel has estimated lower effectiveness of Pfizer’s shot against symptomatic disease, although protection against severe disease remains high.

PHE had previously said that a first dose of either vaccine was around 33% effective against symptomatic disease from the delta variant.

The full study published on Wednesday found that one dose of Pfizer’s shot was 36% effective, and one dose of AstraZeneca’s vaccine was around 30% effective.

“Our finding of reduced effectiveness after the first dose would support efforts to maximise vaccine uptake with two doses among vulnerable groups in the context of circulation of the Delta variant,” the authors of the study said.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/22/world/astrazeneca-pfizer-delta-study/

China rejects WHO plan for study into Covid-19 origin

 China rejected on Thursday a World Health Organization (WHO) plan for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, which includes the hypothesis it could have escaped from a Chinese laboratory, a top health official said.

The WHO this month proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

“We will not accept such an origins-tracing plan as it, in some aspects, disregards common sense and defies science,” Zeng Yixin, vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), told reporters.

Zeng said he was taken aback when he first read the WHO plan because it lists the hypothesis that a Chinese violation of laboratory protocols had caused the virus to leak during research.

“We hope the WHO would seriously review the considerations and suggestions made by Chinese experts and truly treat the origin tracing of the Covid-19 virus as a scientific matter, and get rid of political interference,” Zeng said.

China opposed politicizing the study, he said.

The origin of the virus remains contested among experts.

The first known cases emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. The virus was believed to have jumped to humans from animals being sold for food at a city market.

In May, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered aides to find answers to questions over the origin saying that U.S. intelligence agencies were pursuing rival theories potentially including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China.

Zeng, along with other officials and Chinese experts at the news conference, urged the WHO to expand origin-tracing efforts beyond China to other countries.

“We believe a lab leak is extremely unlikely and it is not necessary to invest more energy and efforts in this regard,” said Liang Wannian, the Chinese team leader on the WHO joint expert team.

However, Liang said the lab leak hypothesis could not be entirely discounted but suggested that if evidence warranted, other countries could look into the possibility it leaked from their labs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/22/china-rejects-who-plan-for-study-into-covid-19-origin.html