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Today's Rundown

As Merck and Pfizer predict incoming billions from their COVID drugs, Roche culls pandemic ties with Atea
Valo whacks SPAC merger, blaming 'market conditions' for end of $750M Khosla deal
Eloxx ends long wait for phase 2 cystic fibrosis data. Market shrugs
Sponsored: Tips on building a resilient cGMP chemical supply chain
Gene on, gene off: Chroma Medicine turns lights on with $125M to control gene expression with ex-Editas, Regeneron leaders
Sponsored: Considerations for Laboratory-Related Operational and Patient Burden in Decentralized Clinical Trials. Clinical Lab Testing in Your Home: Fact or Fiction?
Provention Bio hires 3rd exec in as many weeks as it awaits FDA meeting for rejected drug
FDA grants de novo clearance to ALung's 'respiratory dialysis' machine
AMA moves against doctors who are spreading COVID-19 disinformation
Moderna, amid mounting pressure to address vaccine inequality, says it's working on new COVAX deal
Ncardia inks $60M funding deal to expand discovery and commercial production services for stem cells

Featured Story

As Merck and Pfizer predict incoming billions from their COVID drugs, Roche culls pandemic ties with Atea

By Ben Adams

Swiss major Roche is cutting its losses and casting aside its COVID drug collab with biotech Atea Pharmaceuticals.

Valo whacks SPAC merger, blaming 'market conditions' for end of $750M Khosla deal

By Nick Paul Taylor

Valo Health’s merger with a Khosla Ventures SPAC has gone belly up. The partners terminated the deal, which would have left Valo with $750 million before expenses, “based on current market conditions, particularly in the biotechnology area.”

Eloxx ends long wait for phase 2 cystic fibrosis data. Market shrugs

By Nick Paul Taylor

The long wait for phase 2 data on Eloxx Pharmaceuticals’ cystic fibrosis prospect is over—and yet the picture remains unclear. Eloxx brushed over the failure to improve lung function in the small, short clinical trial, choosing instead to focus on a narrow win against a biomarker endpoint.

Chroma Medicine emerges with $125 million to bankroll development of epigenetic editing to create therapeutics that control gene expression. The biotech is led by former Editas Medicine and Regeneron leaders who will lead Chroma's efforts at silencing and activating genes across a range of therapeutic areas.

Provention Bio has made three leadership hires since Nov. 5 as it awaits a Type A meeting with the FDA later this month to discuss its rejected lead drug, teplizumab, for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. The biotech hired Jan Hillson, M.D., as SVP of clinical development after she served in the same role at Alpine Immune Sciences.

FDA grants de novo clearance to ALung's 'respiratory dialysis' machine

By Conor Hale

The FDA has cleared a new type of life-support device from ALung Technologies that helps remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream before returning it to the body, similar to a dialysis machine.

AMA moves against doctors who are spreading COVID-19 disinformation

By Heather Landi

The American Medical Association adopted a new policy Monday aimed at combatting COVID-related disinformation created by physicians and other clinicians.

Moderna, amid mounting pressure to address vaccine inequality, says it's working on new COVAX deal

By Kevin Dunleavy

An international coalition of more than 80 public health and humanitarian organizations has joined the appeal to Moderna to provide more global access to its COVID-19 vaccine. Amid the pressure, Moderna says it is working behind the scenes with Gavi/COVAX on a plan to deliver millions of shots to countries in need.

Ncardia inks $60M funding deal to expand discovery and commercial production services for stem cells

By Kyle LaHucik

Ncardia secured $60 million in funding from cell and gene therapy investment firm Kiniciti to boost its discovery, clinical and commercial production services of human-induced pluripotent stem cells. The proceeds will help Ncardia build more human cellular models to determine if drugs are safe and effective earlier in the development stage.