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Today's Rundown

Ex-NIH chief Collins returns as science adviser to Biden weeks into retirement
GSK launches trade secrets case against former employee, ordering data and property to be returned 'in one piece'
AHIP study claims hospitals charge double for specialty drugs compared to pharmacies
‘Fantastic technology and a lousy company’: Second Sight’s ‘bionic eyes’ have gone obsolete while still implanted, report finds
After clinical hold, Yumanity to cut 60% of workforce by April and hunt for a buyer
Organon CEO pins high hopes on upcoming Humira biosimilar launch
Folx Health taps marketing executive as CEO as it eyes national expansion
Outset Medical doubled 2021 revenue to $102M amid widening net loss
Innovent's phase 3 hits tee it up to challenge Amgen and Sanofi for Chinese PCSK9 market
Argenx's Vygart launch finds quick neurologist support over AstraZeneca's well-entrenched Soliris for myasthenia gravis
Anthem piloting new COVID-19 recovery tool
MindMaze chases down another $105M in funding plus AHA partnership

Featured Story

Ex-NIH chief Collins returns as science adviser to Biden weeks into retirement

By Kyle LaHucik

Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., after exiting the top perch at the National Institutes of Health in the last weeks of 2021, is back in the upper echelons of U.S. scientific leadership as President Joe Biden's science adviser.

GSK launches trade secrets case against former employee, ordering data and property to be returned 'in one piece'

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Following Pfizer and AbbVie, GlaxoSmithKline is the latest drug major to launch a trade secrets case against an ex-staffer. For GSK, the case comes after several other high-profile trade secrets suits that ended in settlements.

AHIP study claims hospitals charge double for specialty drugs compared to pharmacies

By Robert King

A new study funded by AHIP claims that hospitals charge patients double for certain pharmaceuticals compared to specialty pharmacies as the FTC considers a probe into pharmacy benefit managers.

‘Fantastic technology and a lousy company’: Second Sight’s ‘bionic eyes’ have gone obsolete while still implanted, report finds

By Andrea Park

Amid years of uncertainty, Second Sight's Argus II users say they’ve been left in the lurch, according to an investigation by IEEE Spectrum, which found that, with upgrades and repairs no longer available, many patients are merely counting the days until their vision-restoring implants go dark.

After clinical hold, Yumanity to cut 60% of workforce by April and hunt for a buyer

By Max Bayer

Yumanity Therapeutics plans to cut 60% of its staff by April and is looking for buyers, the company announced Thursday. The news comes less than a month after the FDA placed a partial hold on its lead candidate for Parkinson's disease.

Organon CEO pins high hopes on upcoming Humira biosimilar launch

By Fraiser Kansteiner

What’s in store for Merck spinout Organon’s second year? Growth ambitions for birth control implant Nexplanon, plus tuned up sales expectations for its biosimilars and fertility businesses.

Folx Health taps marketing executive as CEO as it eyes national expansion

By Heather Landi

Folx Health launched out of stealth mode in December 2020 as a telehealth platform designed specifically for the queer and transgender communities. The company has tapped marketing and operations executive Liana Douillet Guzmán to lead its continued strong growth as it eyes expansion to all 50 states.

Outset Medical doubled 2021 revenue to $102M amid widening net loss

By Andrea Park

For the full year, the portable dialysis machine maker logged revenues of $102.6 million. That’s more than double the previous year’s tally—specifically, a 105.5% increase compared to the $49.9 million earned in 2020.

Innovent's phase 3 hits tee it up to challenge Amgen and Sanofi for Chinese PCSK9 market

By Nick Paul Taylor

Innovent Biologics is ready to make its play for the Chinese PCSK9 inhibitor market. Having racked up another two phase 3 wins, Innovent is preparing to file for an approval that would position it as a rival to Amgen’s Repatha and Sanofi’s Praluent in China.

Argenx's Vygart launch finds quick neurologist support over AstraZeneca's well-entrenched Soliris for myasthenia gravis

By Ben Adams

Argenx nabbed an FDA approval for its rare disease drug Vyvgart just before Christmas for its generalized myasthenia gravis med. While Soliris has several years of a head start on Vyvgart, a new report from Spherix found more than half (51%) of the surveyed U.S. neurologists perceived Vyvgart “to offer a substantial advance over other currently available therapies.”

Anthem piloting new COVID-19 recovery tool

By Paige Minemyer

Anthem has launched a new pilot that aims to offer a digital concierge care experience to members recovering from COVID-19.

MindMaze chases down another $105M in funding plus AHA partnership

By Conor Hale

Less than six months since it raised $125 million for its neuro-rehabilitation video game platform, MindMaze has navigated to another nine-figure venture capital round, albeit 16% lower.

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