December 21, 2020
Industry News
 
Reuters
Key Message 1
Published Dec 17, 2020
Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has a better immune response when a two full-dose regime is used rather than a full-dose followed by a half-dose booster, the university said on Thursday, citing data from early trials.
Reuters
Key Message 2
Published Dec 17, 2020
Biogen Inc has agreed to pay $22 million to resolve U.S. allegations that it illegally used two charities that help cover Medicare patients’ out-of-pocket drug costs as a means to pay them kickbacks to use its multiple sclerosis drugs.
The Washington Post
Key Message 3
Published Dec 17, 2020
Officials in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine had been drastically cut for next week, sparking widespread confusion and conflicting statements from Pfizer and federal officials about who was at fault.
FierceBiotech
Key Message 4
Published Dec 17, 2020
GlaxoSmithKline is stumping up $85 million upfront and up to an extra $730 million in biobucks for Surface Oncology’s early-stage antibody asset.
 
Government & Regulatory
 
Bloomberg
Published Dec 17, 2020
Moderna Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine won backing from a panel of experts who advise U.S. regulators, setting the stage for its shot to be the second vaccine cleared in the U.S.
The Hill
Published Dec 17, 2020
Vice President Pence and President-elect Joe Biden will receive the vaccine for the novel coronavirus publicly as part of an effort by officials to build public confidence in the critical shot.
Healio
Published Dec 17, 2020
Pembrolizumab plus fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy received FDA priority review for the first-line treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer, according to a press release.
FiercePharma
Published Dec 17, 2020
AbbVie's aiming to make the most out of its new moneymaker Botox, gained in its Allergan megamerger last year, and it just scored a legal win—against a much smaller rival—that should help.