China scientists seek potential Covid-19 therapy, find ‘effective’ antibodies

A team of Chinese scientists has isolated several antibodies that it says are “extremely effective” at blocking the ability of the new coronavirus to enter cells, which eventually could be helpful in treating or preventing COVID-19.

There is currently no proven effective treatment for the disease, which originated in China and is spreading across the world in a pandemic that has infected more than 850,000 and killed 42,000.
Zhang Linqi at Tsinghua University in Beijing said a drug made with antibodies like the ones his team have found could be used more effectively than the current approaches, including what he called “borderline” treatment such as plasma.
Plasma contains antibodies but is restricted by blood type.
In early January, Zhang’s team and a group at the 3rd People’s Hospital in Shenzhen began analysing antibodies from blood taken from recovered COVID-19 patients, isolating 206 monoclonal antibodies which showed what he described as a “strong” ability to bind with the virus’ proteins.
They then conducted another test to see if they could actually prevent the virus from entering cells, he told Reuters in an interview.
Among the first 20 or so antibodies tested, four were able to block viral entry and of those, two were “exceedingly good” at doing so, Zhang said.
The team is now focused on identifying the most powerful antibodies and possibly combining them to mitigate the risk of the new coronavirus mutating.

If all goes well, interested developers could mass produce them for testing, first on animals and eventually on humans.
The group has partnered with a Sino-U.S. biotech firm, Brii Biosciences, in an effort “to advance multiple candidates for prophylactic and therapeutic intervention”, according to a statement by Brii.
“The importance of antibodies has been proven in the world of medicine for decades now,” Zhang said. “They can be used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases.”
The antibodies are not a vaccine but could potentially be given to at-risk people with the aim of preventing them from contracting COVID-19.
Normally it takes around two years for a drug even to get close to approval for use on patients, but the COVID-19 pandemic means things are moving faster, he said, with steps that would previously be taken sequentially now being done in parallel.

Zhang, who posted the findings online, hopes the antibodies can be tested on humans in six months. If they are found to be effective in trials, actual use for treatment would take longer.
Other experts urge caution.
“There’s a number of steps which will now need to be followed before it could be used as a treatment for coronavirus patients,” Hong Kong University infectious disease specialist Ben Cowling said when the finding was described to him by Reuters.
“But it’s really exciting to find these potential treatments, and then have a chance to test them out. Because if we can find more candidates, then eventually we’ll have better treatment,” Cowling said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-scientists/chinese-scientists-seeking-potential-covid-19-treatment-find-effective-antibodies-idUSKBN21J4QW

Amgen buys Astellas share of Japan JV

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) has acquired Astellas Pharma’s (OTCPK:ALPMF) 49% share of Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K., their joint venture in Japan established in 2013, for an undisclosed sum.

The business is now a wholly subsidiary of Amgen and has been renamed Amgen K.K.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3557094-amgen-buys-astellas-share-of-japan-jv

Chembio launches rapid COVID-19 blood test; shares up 54% premarket

Thinly traded nano cap Chembio Diagnostics (NASDAQ:CEMI) jumps 54% premarket on average volume in reaction to the U.S. launch of its rapid DPP COVID-19 point-of-care blood test that detects IgM and IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 15 minutes from a fingerstick sample.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3557093-chembio-launches-rapid-covidminus-19-blood-test-shares-up-54-premarket

Houston coronavirus patients first in US to try experimental plasma transfusion

A Houston-area hospital became the first hospital in the US to transfuse blood plasma of a recovered COVID-19 patient into one that is critically ill, an experimental therapy that could be used in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Houston Methodist Hospital transfused the plasma on Saturday night, noting the individual who donated the plasma had been in good health for more than two weeks. The procedure, known as convalescent serum therapy, dates back more than 100 years and was first used in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and subsequent other outbreaks of infectious diseases during the 20th century.
“Here at Houston Methodist, we have the capability, the expertise and the patient base from our health care system and we feel obligated to try this therapy,” said Houston Methodist president and CEO Marc Boom in a statement.
“There is so much to be learned about this disease while it’s occurring,” Boom added. “If an infusion of convalescent serum can help save the life of a critically ill patient, then applying the full resources of our blood bank, our expert faculty and our academic medical center is incredibly worthwhile and important to do.”
The hospital started recruiting donors from approximately 250 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. Recruitment started as soon as the F.D.A. announced regulatory guidelines for the study last week, according to the statement.
“Convalescent serum therapy could be a vital treatment route because unfortunately there is relatively little to offer many patients except supportive care and the ongoing clinical trials are going to take a while,” Dr. Eric Salazar, a physician scientist and principal investigator at the Methodist’s Research Institute, added in the statement. “We don’t have that much time.”
A second patient received a transfusion on Sunday, Salazar told the Chronicle, while adding it is “too early” to know if the transfusions are benefiting the patients.
Donating plasma is similar to donating blood, where donors are hooked up to a device that extracts the plasma and returns red blood cells into their bodies simultaneously. The process often takes about an hour and can be done more frequently than blood donations.
The news comes after a trial of five patients in China were aided in their recovery from COVID-19 to varying degrees. The patients, who were between the ages of 36 and 65, including two women, received an experimental plasma transfusion that contained a “neutralizing antibody,” Fox News previously reported.
All five were on ventilators at the time of treatment and had previously received “antiviral agents and methylprednisolone.”
After they received the plasma transfusion, four of the five patients had body temperatures return to normal “within three days,” their Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score decreased and the ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen (also known as the PaO2/FiO2 ratio or Carrico index and the PF ratio) increased within 12 days.
Four of the five patients saw their acute respiratory issues resolve within 12 days after receiving the plasma transfusion and three of them were taken off ventilators within two weeks of treatment. Three patients were eventually discharged and the other two are in stable condition.
The study of the Chinese-based patients was published after New York State recently announced it too would attempt to fight the pandemic using the blood plasma of recovered patients.
During a March 23 press conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the blood therapy trial, which is aimed at coronavirus patients who are in the most serious condition, would start that week.
A Mount Sinai spokesperson told Fox News the hospital also initiated its convalescence plasma program on Saturday evening, “giving plasma to our first patient.”
As of Monday afternoon, more than 745,000 coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, more than 144,000 of which are in the US.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/31/houston-coronavirus-patients-first-in-us-to-try-experimental-plasma-transfusion/

NOVARTIS AG: JEFFERIES reiterates its Buy rating

Already positive, the research from JEFFERIES and its analyst Peter Welford still considers the stock as a Buy opportunity.. Previously set at CHF 105, the target price is lowered to CHF 95.
https://www.marketscreener.com/NOVARTIS-9364983/news/NOVARTIS-AG-JEFFERIES-reiterates-its-Buy-rating-30287653/

British American Tobacco working on COVID-19 vaccine using tobacco leaves

British American Tobacco, the maker of Dunhill and Lucky Strike cigarettes, said on Wednesday its U.S. biotech unit was working on a potential vaccine for COVID-19 using proteins extracted from tobacco leaves.

Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), the unit developing the vaccine, could produce between 1 million and 3 million doses per week starting in June, the company said, with support from government agencies and the right manufacturers.
British American Tobacco said KBP, a division of BAT’s U.S. unit Reynolds American Inc, would develop the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis.
The vaccine, currently undergoing pre-clinical testing, uses a cloned portion of COVID-19’s genetic sequence to create an antigen that is then inserted into tobacco plants for reproduction.
Once harvested, the antigens – substances that induce an immune response in the body – are extracted and purified and inserted into the body to fight the virus, the company said, adding that the formulation it is developing is stable at room temperature, unlike conventional vaccines which often require refrigeration.
KBP made headlines a few years back when it said https://www.reuters.com/article/health-ebola-tobacco-idINKBN0G608V20140806 it had created an effective treatment against Ebola called ZMapp, in conjunction with California-based Mapp Biopharmaceuticals. The drug is yet to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
“We believe we have made a significant break-through with our tobacco plant technology platform and stand ready to work with governments and all stakeholders to help win the war against COVID-19,” David O’Reilly, director of Scientific Research at BAT, said in a statement.
BAT said it was working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the next steps and was also engaged with U.K. health authorities to bring its vaccine to clinical studies as soon as possible.

https://www.marketscreener.com/BRITISH-AMERICAN-TOBACCO-4001163/news/British-American-Tobacco-working-on-COVID-19-vaccine-using-tobacco-leaves-30287833/?countview=0

The Most Powerful Psychological Strategy For Uncertain Times

There is a great deal going on right now that we cannot control:  the spread of the virus, the uncertainty of health, the uncertainty of markets.  This is the first time ever where traders calling me are spending more time discussing their personal challenges and the challenges of their families than discussing markets.
Here is the strategy I’m finding most effective for staying emotionally grounded and constructively focused:  Reaching out and helping others.
The underlying principle is this:  We cannot feel helpless if we’re actively helping.  The antidote to uncertainty is to take on projects with certain rewards.
I recently went shopping at a department store and was surprised to find more of the things I needed on the shelves than I expected.  I asked the checkout clerk if I could quickly run to my car and get extra bags and she said of course.  She seemed quite upbeat and happy, which was nice to see.  When I came home to unpack my bags, I discovered to my surprise that she had slipped into my bag an extra four-pack of toilet paper.  It was a little thing, but it meant a lot–and I expressed my appreciation.
Similarly, I’ve noticed how traders are making more use of teamwork than ever before, particularly now that many are trading from home.  They are using the teams not just to share ideas through the day, but to actively help each other review performance, set goals, and stay on track with those goals.  It reminds me of the Navy SEALs and their ethic of leaving no one behind.  It’s tough to feel sorry for ourselves when we’re reaching out to others.  Who can you make sure isn’t left behind:  in your circle of friends, in your family, in your neighborhood? 
In my own work, I’ve opened my calendar to early morning and evening calls, as well as calls on weekends.  I have resumed doing talks (online!) for trading communities and trading firms.  Social distance does not have to mean social isolation!  Some of the best helping I’ve been doing is simply letting people know what is working in this new environment:  what is working in trading and what is working in people’s personal lives.  There’s a lot to be said for just staying constructively focused!
It’s a psychological reality:  In giving, we become wealthy.  Who can you reach out to and create a buddy system to reach that next level of trading success?  Who might benefit from your ideas and what you’re doing that is proving successful?  Stay safe, stay well, but stay engaged.  Challenges can overwhelm us, or they can bring out the best in us.
http://traderfeed.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-most-powerful-psychological.html