therapeutics

“The Avidity team has built robust programs with industry leading delivery of RNA therapeutics to muscle tissue,” Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said.

“The ability to manipulate these cells so that they can become powerful, specific therapeutics is really the promise of the field,” Bluestone said.

"Most things we do to a virus makes it weaker or not work as well, or maybe you're trying to engineer it for therapeutics, and I'd hate to see somebody throw cold water on that."

Participating manufacturers will have to allocate 20% of their production of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to the WHO.

Last November, the company announced it would lay off 40% of its workforce, or more than 200 employees, and shut down its therapeutics division.