Novartis announces collaboration with Molecular Partners to develop two DARPin® therapies designed for potential use against COVID-19
Novartis and Molecular Partners AG announced a collaboration in the form of an option and license agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize Molecular Partners' anti-COVID-19 DARPin® program, consisting of two therapeutic candidates, MP0420 and MP0423. The collaboration aims to leverage Molecular Partners' proprietary DARPin® technologies and Novartis broad expertise in 
Sanofi and GSK have signed a Statement of Intent with Gavi, the legal administrator of the COVAX Facility, a global risk-sharing mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of eventual COVID-19 vaccines.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund, (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund), has submitted applications to the World Health Organization (WHO) for accelerated registration (Emergency Use Listing, EUL) and prequalification of the world's first registered vaccine against the coronavirus Sputnik V, which is based on a well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors. The Russian Federation has become one of the first countries to apply to WHO for prequalification of its vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection. 
CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid ("mRNA"), today announced data from preclinical studies of its investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, in mice and hamsters. The vaccine candidate elicited balanced humoral and cellular immune responses, featuring high antibody titers and very good T cell activation. 
Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) and the European Commission signed a joint procurement agreement (JPA) that will enable rapid and equitable access to Veklury® (remdesivir), the first antiviral drug proven to be effective for the treatment of COVID-19 in the European Union (EU). The JPA enables participating countries in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK to purchase Veklury for both real-time demand and stockpiling needs, coordinated by the European Commission. 