The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, has pledged up to $90 million to BioNTech’s messenger RNA vaccine candidates for mpox. This research could help advance the scientific understanding of the application of mRNA technology to Orthopoxviruses, which includes mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.

The FDA said the updated messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will protect against the omicron subvariants now prevalent in circulation. Left out of the FDA decision is Novavax, whose protein-based vaccine is still under regulatory review.

BioNTech and OncoC4 reported Phase 1/2 data in non-small cell lung cancer for an immunotherapy called gotistobart. Earlier this year, the German company inked a deal to share in the development of the drug in various types of solid tumors.

Older adults and immunocompromised people may now get a second Covid-19 booster shot, according to amendments to the FDA authorizations of the mRNA vaccines. Further changes will be discussed at an advisory committee meeting planned for June.

BioNTech’s alliance with DualityBio gives it two antibody drug conjugate (ADC) candidates, the most advanced of which is in mid-stage clinical development for solid tumors. It addresses the same target as a potential blockbuster AstraZeneca drug.

BioNTech is expanding its cancer immunotherapy scope by partnering with OncoC4 on clinical testing of its lead drug. The antibody was designed to offer a safety edge over other CTLA-4-blocking drugs it’s on track for a Phase 3 test in non-small cell lung cancer.

BioNTech says its InstaDeep acquisition will help it expand its use of artificial intelligence in drug discovery and development. The startup specializes in a type of machine learning called reinforcement learning.

The FDA has authorized mRNA Covid-19 booster shots designed to protect against the original strain of the novel coronavirus, as well as the two omicron subvariants that are currently driving U.S. caseloads. An advisory committee to the CDC is scheduled to discuss these vaccines and vote on their recommended use on Thursday.

Moderna is suing Pfizer and BioNTech, claiming they copied its messenger RNA work in developing their Covid-19 vaccine. The company notes that its patented work in respiratory infectious disease began years before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the biotech was pursuing an mRNA vaccine for a different coronavirus.

Pfizer and BioNTech have completed their filing seeking FDA emergency use authorization of their omicron-adapted Covid-19 booster shot. Production of this bivalent vaccine has already begun, enabling the companies to begin distribution as soon as the FDA authorizes the shot.

The FDA has granted the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 full approval for use in adolescents. In other Covid-19 news, pharmacists were granted additional prescribing powers for an antiviral and Novavax’s European marketing authorization has been expanded to an additional age group.

Messenger RNA vaccine biotech CureVac is suing BioNTech, alleging that its rival’s Covid-19 vaccine infringes on intellectual property built on more than two decades of research. BioNTech responded that its work is original and the company will defend against the infringement allegations.

New Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are coming and they’ll include protection against the omicron variant. The U.S. government agreed to a purchasing contract covering 105 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for a planned vaccination campaign in the fall.

Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna now have FDA emergency use authorization for children as young as 6 months old. If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signs off on these shots this weekend, these pediatric vaccines could become available for distribution early next week.

Pfizer and BioNTech reported positive clinical data for a Covid-19 booster in children younger than 5, results released ahead of a June FDA advisory committee meeting scheduled to discuss the use of that vaccine and Moderna’s in kids. In other Covid news this week, the CDC issued a health advisory for Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid and a respiratory failure drug for Covid-19 flunked its clinical trial.

Pfizer and BioNTech reported preliminary clinical data supporting use of their Covid-19 vaccine as a booster in children ages 5 to 11. In other Covid news, a vaccine developer won marketing authorization in Europe while another one faces a regulatory setback.

Oral delivery of messenger RNA is one of the capabilities of Matinas BioPharma’s technology. BioNTech will explore that feature among others under a new research alliance with Matinas, a clinical-stage biotech that also has an ongoing collaboration with Genentech.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has proprietary lipid nanoparticle technology used in its FDA-approved RNA therapies. The biotech company claims that the messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer infringe on a patent covering this LNP technology.

BioNTech is acquiring a preclinical T cell receptor program (TCR) from Medigene, as well as licenses to the biotech’s TCR technologies. The agreement helps BioNTech expand its scope in cancer immunotherapy with a new approach for addressing solid tumors.

Pfizer is paying BioNTech $225 million to kick off a new alliance aiming to develop a shingles vaccine based on the same messenger RNA technology that is the basis of the partners’ Covid-19 vaccine. It’s the third alliance between the two companies, but this time Pfizer brings something more to the table.

The FDA has expanded emergency authorization of Covid-19 boosters to include children 12 to 15 vaccinated with the Pfizer and BioNTech messenger RNA shot. The decision is based on a study that found boosting reduced deaths by 90%, but that Israeli analysis only evaluated these shots in people 50 and older.

Preliminary data suggest the BioNTech and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine may have diminished protection against the omicron variant, but levels of neutralizing antibodies can be restored with a third shot. Real-world data are needed to further assess the vaccine’s efficacy against the new variant and whether an omicron-specific version of the shot is needed.

The new Covid-19 variant, named Omicron, has mutations that could help it evade antibodies produced by the immune system. Scientists are conducting lab tests to better understand this new variant and pharmaceutical companies are testing how existing vaccines, as well as those in development, measure up the new mutations.

The FDA has authorized dosing of booster shots of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine. Consistent with the recommendations of an FDA advisory committee, the agency’s amendment to the emergency authorization covers only certain groups at high risk of infection and complications from the virus.

A lower-dose version of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine showed safety and efficacy results in children 5 to 11 that were comparable to those in an older age group. With these preliminary data, the companies said they plan to seek emergency use authorization of the shots.

An FDA advisory panel voted down a proposal for booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 in the general population, opting instead to support third shots in certain high-risk groups, such as the elderly. Panelists want to see more information supporting the need for a booster, as well as data about a heart safety risk the vaccine may pose to young males.

Acknowledging the demand for a Covid-19 vaccine for children, the FDA said it expects regulatory review could take weeks, not months, depending on the timing of a submission from vaccine developers. U.S. health officials told Reuters they expect the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be the first one ready for an FDA submission.

Full FDA approval of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine was the biggest news in a busy week for coronavirus vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. Here’s a look back at some of the major developments.

Full FDA approval makes the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine the first to reach that milestone. But the regulatory decision also flagged a potential risk of heart inflammation, particularly in young males, and the agency has asked the companies to conduct additional clinical research.

Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are now authorized for organ transplant patients and others who have weakened immune systems. The FDA based its update on the results of two small studies that tested third shots of the mRNA Covid vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.