WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST Good things come in threes. J&J’s single-shot vaccine finally got its green light from the FDA, but now it has to overcome public hesitancy, and comparisons with its (good-natured) rivals—namely, its 66% overall effectiveness rate. CEO Alex Gorsky took to the talk show circuit this week, pointing to its 85% rate against serious cases and 100% stat in preventing deaths, while facing down COVID’s emerging variants. Meanwhile, J&J struck a “wartime” pact with its competitor Merck to help produce, package and ship the shot. Those stories, plus our top reads of the week, follow below. | |
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Featured Story | By Eric Sagonowsky Merck & Co., a leading vaccine player worldwide, has been largely absent during the COVID-19 vaccine race. Not anymore: The drugmaker is set to partner with Johnson & Johnson to boost production of its newly authorized shot, The Washington Post reports. read more |
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Top Stories Of The Week By Ben Adams GlaxoSmithKline and partner Vir have seen a key, late-stage test of their experimental COVID drug stopped for new patients amid concerns it may not be working well enough. read more By Arlene Weintraub Three Johns Hopkins research groups designed bispecific antibodies so they simultaneously bind to tumor antigens and T cells, resulting in drugs that could offer off-the-shelf immuno-oncology to a wide variety of cancer patients, they argued. The drugs showed promising efficacy in preclinical models. read more By Beth Snyder Bulik As Johnson & Johnson rolls out its COVID-19 vaccine under a new FDA emergency authorization, the pharma faces a communications hurdle. How will it counter the wide and spreading discussions about the shot's overall effectiveness of 66% when compared to Pfizer and Moderna's 90%-plus effectiveness rates? read more By Fraiser Kansteiner,Eric Sagonowsky As COVID-19 gained steam worldwide last spring, little was known about the disease and the havoc it would wreak on the world. A year later, vaccines offer hope in the global effort to end the pandemic, but it will be a monumental task to produce them and deliver them around the world. read more By Ben Adams It’s already had to give up on any hopes of creating a vaccine against COVID-19, and now Merck is being told that its pandemic drug hopeful will need another trial before it can be issued a green light. read more By Angus Liu Another investor has benefited big time—to the tune of $1 billion—from Moderna's surging stock price during its work on COVID-19. AstraZeneca cashed out its entire 7.7% stake in the mRNA specialist last year, the British pharma said in its annual report, collecting a big return on its $290 million investment. read more By Nick Paul Taylor The FDA has accepted a filing for approval of Merck’s P2X3 receptor antagonist gefapixant for review. Merck is seeking approval on the basis of phase 3 trials that linked the oral drug to improvements in several measures of chronic cough symptoms but confirmed tolerability concerns. read more By Sharon Klahr Coey Actor and comedian Billy Gardell is definitely in the zone—the Type 2 diabetes health zone, that is. And he's taking his good health to a starring role once again for Novo Nordisk, this time in branded advertising for Ozempic. read more By Fraiser Kansteiner AbbVie is pawning off an Allergan biologics plant in the U.K. As part of an expansion in cell and gene therapy, China-based Pharmaron will shell out $119 million for the Liverpool, England facility, planning to keep its 150 workers on the job. read more By Conor Hale Roivant Sciences has moved to take molecule designer Silicon Therapeutics underneath its corporate umbrella in a deal worth $450 million or more that will merge its computational physics work with the efforts of its VantAI drug discovery outfit. read more Resources Sponsored by: AmerisourceBergen Unlock product potential by making the most of your commercialization investments. Sponsored By: Acorn AI Unlock competitive advantage with AI and advanced analytics. Sponsored By: EVERSANA Mature brands lost billions in revenue and value during COVID, but with the right strategy, pharma can rebound and reignite revenue. Learn How. Sponsored By: BC Platforms Download our whitepaper to learn how BC Platforms has leveraged our technical expertise to offer robust and comprehensive solutions to maximize RWD ROI. Sponsored By: Thermo Fisher Scientific Involved in vaccine development? Check out this timely infographic detailing the history of vaccines, key development milestones, and what challenges remain. Sponsored By: Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences A look ahead at how cell-based therapies in oncology will advance during 2021-22: research, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Sponsored by: Baxter BioPharma Solutions While service directories are filled with CMOs claiming vaccine fill-finish experience, the logistical challenges resulting from seasonal product are unique and it is important that outsourcing partners can ensure quality and on-time delivery. Sponsored By: Oracle Health Sciences New research indicates an accelerated adoption of decentralized clinical trials due to COVID-19. Sponsored By: Within3 We enable virtual work — offering over-time sessions where participants are more focused, insights are more diverse and business goals are met. Sponsored by: Catalent Hear industry experts discuss the recent advances, challenges and considerations in pediatric drug development. Real-life examples presented by the experts illustrate the impact of age-appropriate dose forms for pediatrics and highlight insights into the caregiver perspectives. Sponsored by: Catalent Autologous cell therapies have seen propelled growth since 2017, with the spotlight on the first FDA approval of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy, Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel), for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn about proven strategies for a successful product launch, including cross-functional team collaboration, risk management and using the right project management tools. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn about a real-world example of how clinical supply management expertise was applied to overcome inventory challenges for a complex, global study. Sponsored by: Catalent Whether a study is simple or highly complex, forecasting and simulation reports serve as data driven communication tools to help minimize risks and keep the study on track. Learn more about forecasting solutions for informed decision making and supporting contingency planning for clinical study. | 