Gilead files for US approval of remdesivir and boosts investment in manufacturing capacity, more funding is needed for the global ACT Accelerator initiative, and the US and China are rated among the worst responders to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The UK BioIndustry Association has welcomed the government’s fresh investment in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity, while Sanofi and GSK are striking European and US deals for their vaccine candidate. A number of potential therapies are also being developed, including products based on interferon and hyperimmune globulin, but Roche/Chugai’s Actemra (tocilizumab) looks like a non-runner.

Phase II trials of Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN RSV prophylactic vaccine suggest it boosts memory responses against RSV in patients with a poor underlying immunity. Phase III trials may begin in 2020.

The market landscape for drugs against respiratory syncytial virus infections, an important risk factor in premature infants and the immunocompromised, may change drastically in the future with numerous potential therapies in the pipeline.