WHO today listed the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally. The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG).

Six months after receiving Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. FDA for COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are planning to seek full approval for the preventative medications.

With 2020 holding a record number of biotech IPOs, this year is lining up to come close. Three more Bay Area life science companies are just about ready to hit the Nasdaq, adding to the growing list for 2021.

Galapagos NV will refocus its clinical pipeline and make some cost adjustments to save the company €150 million after disappointing studies assessing therapies for rheumatoid arthritis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

On Thursday, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla who is “not at all” in favor of the U.S. position, stated that the real challenge is manufacturing capacity.

The FDA released a briefing document that expressed concerns over ChemoCentryx’s avacopan. Company shares plummeted 46.5% at the news.

Biopharmaceutical company CRISPR Therapeutics has entered into a strategic research, development and commercialization partnership with cancer-focused Nkarta.

A final analysis of AstraZeneca’s Phase III POSEIDON trial shows IMFINZI (durvalumab), offered improvements in overall survival (OS) when added to tremelimumab and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in patients with Stage IV (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer.

There’s a fair amount of new information coming out about COVID-19 and vaccines. Here’s a roundup of some of the top stories.

Every week there are numerous scientific studies published. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Leen Kawas, president and CEO of Athira Pharma, comes from a long line of successful, trailblazing women who place an emphasis on inspiring the next generation, and she is driven to defeat neurodegenerative disease, which has stolen two of those women from her.

Biopharma and life sciences companies strengthen their leadership teams and boards with these Movers & Shakers.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to donate doses of the companies' COVID-19 Vaccine to help vaccinate athletes, and their delegations, participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, which are scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021.

While the U.S. had been one of a few rich nations holding out – along with Canada, the European Union and Britain – on some level, Wednesday’s announcement of support for the proposal is not unexpected.

The U.S. FDA approved Keytruda combined with Genentech’s Herceptin (trastuzumab), fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for first-line treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

With Biogen’s potential treatment for Alzheimer’s, aducanumab, coming in weeks before a U.S. FDA decision, ICER wrote a punishing report slamming the drug for insufficient efficacy and recommending a low price point if approved.

Less than two weeks after receiving the greenlight for Zynlonta under accelerated approval, ADC Therapeutics has launched its treatment for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Newly-published studies suggest currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines may be effective for protecting against new and emerging variants of the novel coronavirus, while booster doses of these vaccines may improve the overall efficiencies of these immunizations at combating these variants.

Bluebird bio reported first-quarter earnings, the approval of Abecma, the first CAR-T therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, and its spinout, 2seventy bio, and its leadership.

Biopharma and life sciences companies from across the globe provide updates on their businesses and pipelines.