Plus our daily roundups from the past week
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WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST

Another (virtual) JPM week has come and gone. Bayer inked a CRISPR deal worth up to $1 billion in biobucks with Doudna’s Mammoth Biosciences, while Sanofi outlined its plans to build Big Pharma’s strongest immunology business. Meanwhile, Novavax has set its sights on establishing itself as a global vaccine player in 2022, and Dexcom provided a look at new blood sugar data from the next-generation of its mainstay diabetes sensor. Those stories, plus roundups of all the news from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, follow below.

 

Featured Story

How Novavax plans to be a COVID-19 vaccine force in 2022

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is destined for the global market, where the company expects demand to play out across all three chief areas: primary vaccination, boosters and the pediatric market, Silvia Taylor, senior vice president, global corporate affairs and investor relations at Novavax, said in an interview on the sidelines of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

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Top Stories Of The Week

Bayer taps CRISPR science from Doudna's lab in $1B biobucks Mammoth gene therapy deal

Bayer is adding more building blocks to its cell and gene therapy ambition by tapping Mammoth Biosciences' CRISPR gene editing toolbox in a strategic collaboration with $40 million upfront and potentially worth over $1 billion.

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Dexcom shows off new G7 data after submitting diabetes sensor for FDA review

The new G7 wearable glucose sensor "very comfortably meets" the FDA’s accuracy requirements, according to Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer.

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Sanofi has designs on creating Big Pharma's 'strongest' immunology franchise, CFO says

Sanofi has been no stranger to the biopharma dealmaking circuit under CEO Paul Hudson, and last year it inked a handful of biotech buyouts for mRNA, an FDA-approved transplant med and more. Now, when asked about the company's business development plans going forward, Sanofi's CFO said the company thinks it can build an industry-leading immunology franchise.

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Sarepta projects Duchenne muscular gene therapy will go to FDA next year, sees shares crash 15%

Sarepta Therapeutics will ask the FDA to approve its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy next year if the data from a pivotal trial is consistent with existing evidence, the biotech said at JPM 2022 on Monday. The biotech, with three approved DMD meds, said its gene therapy helped kids improve their motor skills.

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JPM Biotech Roundup—Bayer strikes a Mammoth deal; no Sunday buyouts

Join us for a rolling look at the top life sciences news coming out of this year's virtual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

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JPM Pharma Roundup—Merck's COVID antiviral; Novartis' spending plans

Boot up those computers and get your J.P. Morgan healthcare conference meeting links ready, because it's set to be a week full of biopharma action.

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FDA must hit the gas on FOIA request tied to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, judge orders

Rather than 75 years, it will now take about eight months for the FDA to make public the information it used to license Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine—provided the regulator can keep up with the new schedule.

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AstraZeneca picks up new weapon in rare disease fight with Alnylam and Pfizer, paying $30M for rights to an early-phase asset

AstraZeneca is stepping up its pursuit of a rare disease market targeted by Alnylam and Pfizer. Having entered the ATTR space through its takeover of Alexion, AstraZeneca is paying $30 million for worldwide rights to Neurimmune’s NI006 in its second deal in the indication in quick succession.

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Pfizer takes the ax to US sales reps amid virtual push

Pfizer is culling hundreds of sales reps in the U.S. as the company shifts into digital drive as the pandemic pushed away in-person meetings.

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Researchers find hormone in fat tissue that could help insulin-resistant patients with diabetes

A hormone produced in fat tissue could pave the way for new treatments for diabetes and could overcome the challenges of insulin resistance. The molecule, dubbed FGF1, could help lower blood glucose in people who are resistant to insulin, researchers at Salk Institute reported in the journal Cell Metabolism.

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Catalent's FDA write-up spurred Novo Nordisk's Wegovy supply woes

Catalent received an FDA write-up for its syringe filling facility in Belgium, BioProcess International reports, adding that it is "allegedly" the culprit behind supply challenges for Novo Nordisk’s obesity med Wegovy.

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Ypsomed and Catalent Biologics experts discuss strategies for integrated PFS manufacturing and auto-injector assembly to accelerate timelines and more in this webinar.

Whitepaper: Formulation Strategies When Transitioning From Vial to PFS

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