Cedars-Sinai, Stanford team up on AI for rare heart conditions
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Today's Rundown

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UPDATED: Pfizer to join J&J, Moderna in shareholder vote showdown on vaccine pricing strategy, manufacturing tech sharing

Throughout the global push to produce COVID-19 vaccines, pharma companies have frequently come under fire for unequal access to their shots. Oxfam, in a bid to force better access, has scored a series of wins in its effort to exact pricing and intellectual property information from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna.

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Top Stories

UPDATED: Pharmas operating in Ukraine, Russia work to ensure access to medicines, while analysts foresee trial disruptions

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could affect clinical studies as there are more than 250 trials with at least one site in the Eastern European nation, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. Karuna Therapeutics noted one of its schizophrenia trials has no clear timeline because 10 of 19 sites are in Ukraine.

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Cedars-Sinai, Stanford develop AI to spot 2 difficult-to-diagnose heart conditions

The algorithm is designed to flag indicators of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle thickens, and cardiac amyloidosis, also known as stiff heart syndrome, in which normal heart muscle is replaced by amyloid deposits.

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Medical office real estate giants nearing $10B-plus merger, WSJ reports

The two medical office real estate firms could finalize a cash-and-stock deal by early next week, although there's still a chance the deal could fall through, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

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EMA expands nods for BMS, Eli Lilly, Novartis drugs and backs Biohaven, VBI, Myovant therapies for first time

The European drug regulator is adding new indications for several drugs in boons to Novarits, Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly. It's also backing first-time approvals for Biohaven, VBI Vaccines and Myovant Sciences.

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Biohaven to take a chance on Bristol Myers' once-failed DMD med

Biohaven is taking over Bristol Myer Squibb’s once-failed treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy through a worldwide licensing agreement, with plans to develop taldefgrobep alfa in spinal muscular atrophy. 

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FDA approves Medtronic’s long-lasting neurostimulator implant for bladder, bowel incontinence

The medtech giant announced this week that the FDA has approved the newest version of the InterStim device, designed to go at least a decade without recharging or replacement.

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A 'pandemic of mistrust' is prolonging COVID-19 and undermining future care, AMA president says

In a Thursday national address, AMA President Gerald Harmon, M.D., underscored the need for consistent public health messaging and greater accountability for medical misinformation.

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Shionogi files for approval of oral COVID-19 antiviral in Japan, brushing off missed clinical endpoint in race to market

Shionogi is about to find out what it takes to get a COVID-19 antiviral to market in Japan. Having missed the primary clinical endpoint in a phase 2b, Shionogi has filed for approval on the strength of evidence its oral antiviral S-217622 reduces viral load and certain symptoms.

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Cloud R&D developer Benchling inks first buyout to support in vivo studies

Benchling claimed Overwatch Research, a Northern Ireland-based startup that provides end-to-end software for managing preclinical in vivo studies.

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Emergent underway with $100M in manufacturing upgrades as it gears up for 'post-pandemic work'

Six weeks after telling investors what to expect in 2022 revenue, Emergent BioSolutions has adjusted its forecast. Instead of projecting revenues of $1.4 to $1.5 billion in 2022, Emergent has dropped the figure to $1.3 to $1.4 billion. The company said it is undergoing maintenance and upgrades as it readies for post-pandemic work.

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Amwell stock falls on adjusted EBITDA losses in Q4, 2022 guidance

Amwell's stock declined after the telehealth company posted fourth-quarter earnings with deepened adjusted EBITDA losses and projected stalled growth through 2022.

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