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Today's Rundown

Johnson & Johnson wins FDA panel backing for a second dose of its COVID shot but don’t call it a ‘booster’
FDA adds Class I recall label to Abbott Alinity COVID tests after risk of false positives
Walmart unveils employer market team-up with Transcarent
Johnson & Johnson puts talc headache into bankruptcy; plaintiffs will contest the ploy
Intelerad acquires competitor Ambra Health to form $1.7B enterprise imaging giant
Despite Merck's oral COVID-19 drug, antibodies by Regeneron, GSK and others still have billions in sales ahead: analyst
AstraZeneca delivers rare win for treme in liver cancer, bouncing back from flops to beat Bayer's Nexavar
Hologic dreams bigger for Bolder Surgical with $160M acquisition deal
Catholic Health's strike staffing agency receives cease and desist citing picketer interference, insufficient licensing
Chinese biopharma powerhouse continues charge into siRNA with Silence R&D pact
NIH deals out $77.7M to develop 12 new rapid COVID diagnostics from BD, Quidel and more
Agenus cell therapy spinoff MiNK inks mark on Wall Street with low-end $40M IPO
Editor's Corner—Medicare Advantage open enrollment opens today. Hear top industry execs discuss the trends to watch
The energy switch: Big Pharma harnesses sun, wind and water in quest for a low-carbon future

Featured Story

Johnson & Johnson wins FDA panel backing for a second dose of its COVID shot but don’t call it a ‘booster’

By Kevin Dunleavy

An FDA advisory committee has recommended for an emergency use approval of a second dose of the J&J vaccine to anyone age 18 and older, provided their original shot came at least two months ago.

FDA adds Class I recall label to Abbott Alinity COVID tests after risk of false positives

By Andrea Park

Abbott identified an issue with the software used by special lab processing equipment to prepare swab samples for testing with its Alinity m SARS-CoV-2 and Alinity m Resp-4-Plex assays.

Walmart unveils employer market team-up with Transcarent

By Paige Minemyer

Walmart is teaming with Transcarent to make it easier for self-funded employers to access its healthcare services.

Johnson & Johnson puts talc headache into bankruptcy; plaintiffs will contest the ploy

By Kevin Dunleavy

Johnson & Johnson revealed that it has filed for bankruptcy protection for a subsidiary it has created to manage roughly 30,000 talc litigation cases. Lawyers representing litigants say they will resist the ploy.

Intelerad acquires competitor Ambra Health to form $1.7B enterprise imaging giant

By Heather Landi

Intelerad Medical Systems is acquiring cloud-based medical imaging company Ambra Health in a major radiology software deal that values the combined companies at $1.7 billion.

Despite Merck's oral COVID-19 drug, antibodies by Regeneron, GSK and others still have billions in sales ahead: analyst

By Angus Liu

The success of Merck & Co.'s oral antiviral against COVID-19 immediately triggered concerns over the market prospect of antibody therapies. But, as one analyst sees it, those antibody products by Regeneron, GlaxoSmithKline and other companies still have an important role to play that pills can’t make up for.

AstraZeneca delivers rare win for treme in liver cancer, bouncing back from flops to beat Bayer's Nexavar

By Nick Paul Taylor

Can AstraZeneca pick its CTLA-4 inhibitor up off the canvas? After seeing the drug knocked down by a series of setbacks, AstraZeneca has now reported improved survival in a phase 3 checkpoint inhibitor combination study in liver cancer patients.

Hologic dreams bigger for Bolder Surgical with $160M acquisition deal

By Conor Hale

Though consistent with the tuck-in acquisition strategy it’s pursued since the beginning of this year, Hologic is taking intrepid steps to build out its surgical franchise with a $160 million deal for Bolder Surgical.

Catholic Health's strike staffing agency receives cease and desist citing picketer interference, insufficient licensing

By Dave Muoio

The New York attorney general's office said it received complaints that Huffmaster, a strike staffing firm, was illegally providing both clinical work and security services to Catholic Health Mercy Hospital, which is now entering the second week of its union strike.

Chinese biopharma powerhouse continues charge into siRNA with Silence R&D pact

By Nick Paul Taylor

Hansoh Pharmaceutical is making a multifront push into siRNA. Days after disclosing a siRNA pact with OliX Pharmaceuticals, the Chinese biopharma powerhouse has unveiled a separate alliance with Silence Therapeutics.

NIH deals out $77.7M to develop 12 new rapid COVID diagnostics from BD, Quidel and more

By Andrea Park

The newest additions to RADx's list span both at-home and point-of-care diagnostics, with a focus on low-cost tests able to detect multiple respiratory infections within an hour.

Agenus cell therapy spinoff MiNK inks mark on Wall Street with low-end $40M IPO

By Kyle LaHucik

MiNK Therapeutics inked its spot on the Nasdaq with a $40 million initial public offering on Friday to take its lead candidate through phase 1 trials in multiple cancers and infectious diseases.

Editor's Corner—Medicare Advantage open enrollment opens today. Hear top industry execs discuss the trends to watch