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Today's Rundown

Merck, Amgen adopt double-digit price hikes in test to Big Pharma's unofficial annual limits: analyst
Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial begins: A timeline of blood-testing startup Theranos' downfall
Key vaccine leaders departing FDA as COVID-19 booster questions linger
Hospitals to face new emission goals, and potential penalties for noncompliance, under new HHS office
Fitch: COVID-19 resurgence threatens nonprofit hospitals' margins, credit ratings
GSK, Korean biotech SK go head-to-head against AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot with their experimental vaccine
Versanis Bio snags $70M for a ditched Novartis muscle drug, with a little help from its old CEO Jimenez
FDA approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine spurs American confidence: Harris Poll
Parallel Bio is putting the immune system in a dish to improve drug discovery
Olive launches an in-house studio to help boost digital health innovations

Featured Story

Merck, Amgen adopt double-digit price hikes in test to Big Pharma's unofficial annual limits: analyst

By Noah Higgins-Dunn

For years, top pharma companies limited annual drug price hikes to single digits. But now it appears some big players are starting to push the limits of pharma’s social contract, Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal points out.

Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial begins: A timeline of blood-testing startup Theranos' downfall

By Andrea Park

Holmes faces nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000 plus restitution for each of the 11 counts.

Key vaccine leaders departing FDA as COVID-19 booster questions linger

By Annalee Armstrong

Two key vaccine leaders will leave the FDA this fall, just as the agency faces key decisions over COVID-19 booster shots and as variants take a bite out of the shots’ efficacy. The FDA’s Officer of Vaccines Research and Review Director Marion Gruber, Ph.D. and Deputy Director Phillip Krause, M.D. will depart the agency.

Hospitals to face new emission goals, and potential penalties for noncompliance, under new HHS office

By Robert King

Hospitals and health systems are going to face new greenhouse gas emission goals or potentially face penalties under a new HHS office.

Fitch: COVID-19 resurgence threatens nonprofit hospitals' margins, credit ratings

By Dave Muoio

Higher supply costs, persistent nursing shortages, fewer elective procedures and no new federal stimulus monies paint a dire picture for smaller nonprofit hospitals, according to the ratings agency.

GSK, Korean biotech SK go head-to-head against AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot with their experimental vaccine

By Ben Adams

GlaxoSmithKline has been a little late to the COVID vaccine game and stumbled with partner Sanofi on the way, but it’s now hoping to rival and maybe even beat out AstraZeneca’s vaccine as it starts a new test with a new partner.

Versanis Bio snags $70M for a ditched Novartis muscle drug, with a little help from its old CEO Jimenez

By Kyle LaHucik

Versanis Bio emerged with a $70 million series A to test a former failed Novartis drug in a phase 2 study for obesity. Backing the biotech is former Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez, who was in the top spot when bimagrumab flunked a phase 2b/3 study in a rare, muscle-wasting disease.

FDA approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine spurs American confidence: Harris Poll

By Beth Snyder Bulik

Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine FDA approval last week boosted consumer confidence among both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. A Harris Poll survey over the weekend found that 80% of Americans who heard about the approval now have more confidence in it.

Parallel Bio is putting the immune system in a dish to improve drug discovery

By Amirah Al Idrus

It’s no secret that drug development is a tough business, with the majority of efforts never reaching approval. Parallel Bio aims to help with organoids: 3D mini-organs that look and work just like the organs found in people. It's starting out by modeling the human immune system in a dish.

Olive launches an in-house studio to help boost digital health innovations

By Anastassia Gliadkovskaya

Olive will give early-stage entrepreneurs access to its platform, where they can quickly deploy and distribute their offerings. The goal is to streamline scaling; founders will have access to hundreds of organizations using Olive.

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