ebola
Ebola vaccine works even in people who had already been infected
A new study shows that people vaccinated against Ebola with a single dose of Merck's Ervebo are far less likely to die than those who aren't vaccinated, even if they do develop the disease.
The research, published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, is based on data from the 2018-2020 Ebola Zaire outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It showed that the inoculation halved the risk of dying among people who had received the vaccine before developing symptoms — including those who only received the vaccine just a day or two before getting sick. About 27% of people who had been vaccinated within two days of becoming symptomatic died, compared to 56% in those who were unvaccinated.
"That's a huge finding," the study's first author told STAT. "We know now that vaccination is better late than never. So this is one more reason to use the Ebola vaccine."
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rebranding
Gilead acquiring CymaBay for $4.3 billion
Gilead Sciences will acquire CymaBay Therapeutics for $4.3 billion, based primarily on the latter's lead candidate, seladelpar, which aims to treat a rare autoimmune liver disease called primary biliary cholangitis. The FDA is reviewing a marketing application for seladelpar, with an approval expected by Aug. 14.
This acquisition boosts Gilead's liver disease portfolio, which includes its treatments for hepatitis C. It also represents a redemption for CymaBay, which experienced some serious setbacks in 2019 when seladelpar failed to treat MASH, formerly known as NASH. In 2022, CymaBay's stock was about $2 a share. The deal with Gilead places shares for CymaBay at $32.50 — 27% higher than they were just last week.
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