WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST Following reports that AstraZeneca struck a vaccine deal with four European countries, Johnson & Johnson has begun negotiations with the European Commission to supply its own candidate, if it proves its worth, with plans to launch an early phase trial next month under an accelerated timeline. Across the pond, analysts are betting that the FDA will approve “at least one" vaccine by the end of the year—and before Election Day, specifically. But Commissioner Stephen Hahn went on record saying the agency won’t approve a shot for political reasons. Those stories plus our top reads for the week follow below. | |
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Featured Story | Friday, June 19, 2020 After AstraZeneca struck a deal to supply COVID-19 vaccine to four European countries, another pharma giant is reportedly in talks to earmark hundreds of millions of vaccine doses for Europe should its candidate prove safe and effective. read more |
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Top Stories Of The Week Tuesday, June 23, 2020 Sana Biotechnology has got some major backing after coming out with a huge $700 million initial funding round and the ex-financial and research team from Juno Therapeutics. read more Monday, June 22, 2020 About 6 months into the pandemic and about 130 days until the U.S. presidential election, COVID-19 vaccines are moving ahead at record speeds. Now, a group of analysts predict “at least one” vaccine will be approved before November 3. read more Monday, June 22, 2020 A phase 1b trial of a personalized cancer vaccine in development at Roche and BioNTech has chalked up a “low” response rate. Nine of the 108 evaluable solid tumor patients responded when given the vaccine in combination with Tecentriq, although researchers pointed to immune response results to support continued study in other populations. read more Monday, June 22, 2020 As pandemic lockdowns begin to ease, the U.S. government has shown some interest—and deep pockets—in bringing drugmakers' supply chains stateside to bolster supplies during a future health emergency. Now, a New Jersey site recently owned by a Big Pharma could be the site of one drugmaker's "onshoring" dreams. read more Tuesday, June 23, 2020 As it continues with its small to medium-sized biotech deals, Gilead has put down $275 million for a 49.9% share in immuno-oncology biotech Pionyr with the option to buy it out completely should it pass muster in early clinical tests. read more Monday, June 22, 2020 Merck and Pfizer are racing their next-gen pneumococcal vaccines to the finish line in a multibillion-dollar field. But while Merck this week posted two trial wins, they won't be enough to secure it a lead in the market-share battle to come, one analyst predicts. read more Monday, June 22, 2020 At this week’s virtual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), several research groups are presenting new therapeutic tactics aimed at interrupting survival pathways in pancreatic cancer. They include combining CD40 and PD-L1 blockade to improve the immune attack, and disrupting metabolic processes cancer cells need to thrive. read more Friday, June 19, 2020 Pfizer’s tafamidis arrived in the U.S. in 2019 with a discounted list price over rival transthyretin amyloidosis drugs. But its $225,000-a-year tag still seems too much for many heart patients, a new JAMA Cardiology study found. And it's not the first time experts have questioned the price. read more Tuesday, June 23, 2020 Personalized cancer test developer ArcherDX is walking away from plans to take itself public and into the arms of genetic testing company Invitae. read more Enrollment Showcase | Sponsored by: University of Florida College of Pharmacy University of Florida precision medicine leaders highlight current knowledge and trends to advance the future of health care in this quarterly webinar series. Register today. |
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Resources Sponsored by: Systech Get an inside look… Merck shares its next-generation approach to supply chain protection with new digital platforms, including Blockchain. Sponsored by: Automation Anywhere Built on advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), data mining, and information integration into various systems at 100% accuracy, the new era of intelligent automation is integral to life sciences for devising new treatments faster and at a lower expense. Sponsored by: Cenduit Download this case study to read how Cenduit helped one client successfully navigate mid-study changes to medication management. Sponsored by: Research Solutions Learn four ways to squeeze more value from your limited R&D resources. Sponsored by: BioAnalytix Download this eBook and Learn the Advanced Analytical Approaches for Improved Development of Cell and Gene Therapies Sponsored by: Catalent In a series of innovation sessions, Catalent RP Scherer softgel capsules were quickly identified as the ideal solution to drive incremental growth. Learn more. Sponsored by: Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences White paper describing 7 keys to success for any biopharma company that is entering (or thinking about entering) Europe. Sponsored by: Copyright Clearance Center Dive into the history of biomedical classification and how these systems have evolved to address new technology and use cases. Presented by: ICON Clinical Research Download this whitepaper to learn more about the success factors that are required to keep a pandemic respiratory vaccine trial running at optimal speed and efficiency. Sponsored by: Clinical Ink This white paper covers a Phase III case study; BYOD advantages and misconceptions; and regulatory, copyright, and equivalency considerations. Sponsored by: Clinical Ink Learn how GI specific data capture solutions can support virtual and hybrid trials during COVID-19. Sponsored by: Catalent Regardless of the assigned FDA expedited approval designation and approach, the key action items should be: the assurance of a detail-oriented plan and the adaption of a “forward-thinking” approach that will assist in any future challenges and opportunities for growth of each project. Sponsored by: Catalent Get expert insights on strategies to implement flexible manufacturing and different technologies that are easily scalable and reproducible. Sponsored by: Catalent This whitepaper discusses the benefits of end-to-end solutions and share case studies on how flexible manufacturing strategies can accommodate the changing landscape of pharmaceutical products and help bring a drug to market. 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. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn how to drive excellence within the forecasting process and utilize forecasting throughout the clinical study to better plan clinical supply budgets and project timelines. Explore how to identify potential supply-related issues before they can negatively impact your study. | 
