Johnson & Johnson asked the US Food and Drug Administration to authorise a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine for adults after a study showed it provided strong protection against infection.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca also filed with the FDA to approve its Covid-19 antibody treatment.
The J&J submission includes results from a late-stage clinical trial that found a booster dose of its one-shot vaccine 56 days after the first shot provided 94 per cent protection against moderate to severe disease in the US, the company said on Tuesday.
Last week, the FDA said it had scheduled a meeting of its outside scientific advisers to discuss possible boosters of J&J and Moderna vaccines on October 14 and 15.
If authorised, J&J’s booster could give millions more Americans additional protection against the coronavirus.
About 15 million people in the US received the single-shot vaccine, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
J&J said in September that a second dose of its vaccine provided 100 per cent protection against severe disease when given two months after the first inoculation.
The late-stage clinical trial also found that the booster was 94 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid infections in the US, and 75 per cent effective overall when it was given 56 days after the initial dose.
It also brought a strong increase in protective antibodies.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca, the drug maker that developed one of the first Covid-19 vaccines, asked the FDA to authorise the emergency use of a first-of-a-kind antibody treatment to prevent the disease.
The company said that the treatment would be the first long-acting antibody combination to receive an emergency authorisation for Covid-19 prevention.
If authorised, the drug would probably be limited to people with compromised immune systems who do not receive sufficient protection from vaccination.
“First and foremost we want to protect those vulnerable populations that haven’t been adequately protected by the vaccine,” said Menelas Pangalos, AstraZeneca’s head of research and development.
“But ultimately, it will be up to health authorities to work out who they choose to immunise.”
Mr Pangalos said the company’s long-acting formulation is designed to boost immunity for up to one year, compared with existing drugs that offer a month or two of protection.
The FDA has authorised three other antibody drugs and stressed that they are not a substitute for vaccination, which is the most effective, long-lasting form of protection.
Antibody drugs also are expensive to produce and require a drip or injection.
US demand for the treatments soared over the summer, particularly in states such as Florida, Louisiana and Texas, where unvaccinated patients threatened to overwhelm hospitals.
Late-stage human trials showed that AstraZeneca’s antibody drug reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 77 per cent.
More than three quarters of the participants had suppressed immune systems that made them more susceptible to severe disease.
Mr Pangalos said the company’s drug would provide “an additional option to help protect against Covid-19 alongside vaccines".
The company will also seek regulatory authorisation in Europe and other regions around the world.
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
