Vaccine Manufacturers Work to Respond to Any Omicron Variant Threats
With concerns heightened by the appearance of the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2, major vaccine manufacturers had some reassuring news: They are well on their way to developing products that will act against the COVID-19 mutation. Moderna quickly announced updates to its strategy to combat SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, given the emergence of the Omicron variant. Read more.

Inhaled Steroids Still Promising, Although Study Did Not Meet Endpoint
Oral steroids have been shown to have a positive effect in COVID-19 patients, but what about inhaled steroids? A study of ciclesonide did not meet its endpoint—time to alleviation of symptoms in the nonhospitalized—but it met a secondary endpoint, which was fewer subsequent emergency department visits or hospital admissions for COVID-19 symptoms. Read more.

Controlled Blood Sugar, Drug Combos Protective Against COVID-19 for T2D Patients
Whether type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients are likely to end up with severe cases of COVID-19 depends on some key factors. Find out how a new study determined that patients with well-controlled blood sugar and those using certain drug combinations—such as metformin and insulin together—were less likely to end up in intensive care. Read more.