A rhesus macaque monkey egg was successfully fertilized using sperm cells grown from rhesus macaque embryonic stem cells, researchers reported in Fertility and Sterility Science. The study is a step toward stem cell therapy for male infertility, says lead researcher Charles Easley, and the researchers will implant embryos into a surrogate rhesus monkey and perform the same experiments using spermatid-like cells derived from macaque skin cells.

Zoos throughout the US are administering a COVID-19 vaccine donated by Zoetis to nonhuman primates, felids, mustelids and other vulnerable animals. The vaccine is made specifically for animals and is unsuitable for human use, and it is based on other veterinary coronavirus vaccines that have been in use since the 1950s.

The European Medicines Agency is ensuring that production of Comirnaty, the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, will be readily available once it makes a decision on the vaccine's use in children age 5 to 11. Two additional manufacturing sites were approved by the EMA, both located in Italy.

The FDA has given emergency use authorization to Thermo Fisher Scientific for its SDNA saliva collection device, which will be used in conjunction with the company's automated Covid-19 testing system.

The FDA has given emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics for its COVID-19 collection kit. The authorization allows people 18 years and older to collect nasal samples on their own, allows adolescents ages 16 and 17 years old to use the kit themselves with adult supervision and allows children ages 2 to 15 to perform the collection with adult assistance.

Lighthouse Lab Services has received emergency use authorization from the FDA for its CovidNow SARS-CoV-2 Assay. The test can only be used by CLIA-certified labs that are allowed to perform high-complexity tests and are authorized by Lighthouse Lab Services.

Health Canada has given ElectroCore an amended medical device license for its gammaCore nVNS, allowing it to be used for acute and preventive treatment of migraines in individuals that are 12 to 17 years old.

Johnson & Johnson generated $23.3 billion in sales and $3.7 billion in profits during its third quarter, which ended Sept. 30. "Our third-quarter results demonstrate solid performance across Johnson & Johnson, driven by robust above-market results in pharmaceuticals, ongoing recovery in medical devices, and strong growth in consumer health," said CEO and Chair Alex Gorsky.

Intuitive Surgical generated $1.40 billion in revenue during its fiscal third quarter, which ended Sept. 30. It has also named Dave Rosa as executive vice president and chief strategy and growth officer, Marshall Mohr as EVP for global business services and Henry Charlton as chief commercial officer.

The On/Go test kit, an at-home COVID-19 antigen self-test, has been released by Intrivo Diagnostics. The test, which can deliver results in 10 minutes, uses an artificial intelligence-powered application to guide users through nasal swab collection, mixing the sample with the testing solution and applying the solution to a testing cartridge.