AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told London’s Sunday Times the coronavirus shot being co-developed with Oxford Univ. should work against a new COVID-19 variant surging in Britain, and that researchers have a formula putting its effectiveness on par with rivals’. (Fox Business)
The rollout of monoclonal antibody therapies for coronavirus patients has been stunted by a “lukewarm response” from I.D. docs, a report found. (WSJ) Meanwhile, a trial, on hold since October, showed one such combo was ineffective for hospitalized COVID patients. (MedPage Today)
Madison Ave. can look forward to an active year on the regulatory front, the head of an ad industry trade group told WSJ. Pandemic-shelved proposals expected to be revived include a renewed attack on the deduction for advertising expenses. (WSJ)
The more than $2 trillion aid package signed into law by Trump Sunday extended unemployment insurance and set aside billions for the COVID vaccine rollout. The House was set to vote on increasing the cash amount of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. (CNBC)
Novavax’s coronavirus vaccine has entered late-stage trials in the U.S. and Mexico, the fifth such shot to do so. Assuming positive results, authorization is expected in 2021, and the addition of another jab could help meet demand and aid in bringing the pandemic to heel. (Reuters)
