During Pfizer's appearance before the European Parliament this week, a company executive responded to the question of whether "Pfizer's vaccine was tested to stop transmission of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) before going to market" by saying "no".
Research with 11 lactating women vaccinated against covid-19 has found small amounts of mRNA from the vaccine in breast milk, undetectable 48 hours later.
The new tailored doses against Omicron have arrived just in time for the upcoming autumn and winter wave. Although we do not know which variant will circulate in the coming months, these vaccines are safe and will help reduce transmission in what could be difficult months from a care pressure point of view.
Regulatory agencies in the US and Europe - the FDA and the EMA - have licensed vaccination against Omicron focusing on different variants and sub-variants. Different procedures and studies in humans and animals have informed the agencies' decisions. Experts hope that these new doses will provide sufficient protection this autumn and winter to mitigate the impact of the next wave.
To estimate the effectiveness of two or three doses of vaccines against covid-19 infection and hospitalisation, researchers in Denmark conducted a study of all previously uninfected Danish residents aged 12 years and older. The conclusion of the research, which is published in PLOS Medicine, is that a third dose provided greater protection against infection and hospitalisation with omicron than two vaccines.
In the United States, the human papillomavirus vaccine began to be recommended in 2006 for girls aged 9-26 years. A study published in the journal JAMA Health Forum concludes that the campaign significantly reduced the risk of HPV infection in vaccinated women. In addition, herd immunity reduced the likelihood of infection in unvaccinated women.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved an updated version of the covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Moderna that also targets the omicron variant. It is intended to serve as a booster dose for adults.
With the increase in monkeypox cases worldwide, the World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak an international public health emergency. There is now a recommended vaccine for its prevention or mitigation. Here is what we know about it and what the current recommendations are.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still considering the approval of Hipra's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In mid-May, Hipra said it was ready to "have the vaccine available in a few days" following EMA approval, which it expected by the middle of this year, but which is being delayed until at least after July, as Elia Torroella, Hipra's R&D and Registration Director, explained at a breakfast briefing organised by the company today.
US researchers have designed an intranasal vaccination device that is capable of delivering immunising proteins through the mucosal surface. The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, shows that strong antibody responses against viruses such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2 have been achieved in mice and non-human primates.