Newsletter Tool

To view this email as a web page, click here

Today's Rundown

FDA staffers sing Pfizer/BioNTech COVID shot's praises ahead of key committee meeting
How will the distribution work for new COVID-19 vaccine? Here are some of the details
Not enough Pfizer vaccine doses? Blame the feds, not the company: reports
Nursing home organizations call for long-term care residents, staff to be first in line for COVID-19 vaccine
Forbion raises €460M in weeks to back next crop of EU biotechs
Biopharma roundup: Pfizer vaccine wins early FDA praise; AstraZeneca inks shot manufacturing deal
Sinovac snags $515M investment to double COVID-19 vaccine capacity as phase 3 readout nears
U.S. agency behind Kodak's beefy drug manufacturing loan played by the books, investigation finds: report

Featured Story

FDA staffers sing Pfizer/BioNTech COVID shot's praises ahead of key committee meeting

By Angus Liu

The FDA has released its internal review documents ahead of the closely watched COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for Thursday—and they bode well for Pfizer and partner BioNTech's prospects for securing a quick emergency use authorization.

How will the distribution work for new COVID-19 vaccine? Here are some of the details

By Tina Reed

At a "Vaccine Summit" to be hosted by the White House Tuesday, officials are expected to dive deeper into the details of the COVID-19 vaccine plan. Here's a rundown of some of the early details.

Not enough Pfizer vaccine doses? Blame the feds, not the company: reports

By Arlene Weintraub

Pfizer reportedly urged U.S. government officials to pre-order more than 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, but they declined, raising new questions about whether there will be enough shots to ensure a broad and quick rollout stateside if the FDA grants an emergency use authorization soon.

Nursing home organizations call for long-term care residents, staff to be first in line for COVID-19 vaccine

By Tina Reed

That includes putting them ahead of others who've also been identified as a top priority for vaccinations by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel, such as front-line healthcare workers, officials said.

Forbion raises €460M in weeks to back next crop of EU biotechs

By Nick Paul Taylor

Forbion has raised a €460 million ($558 million) early-stage venture capital fund. The fund hit its hard cap weeks after opening, adding further evidence of the willingness of investors to back experienced European VC shops.

Biopharma roundup: Pfizer vaccine wins early FDA praise; AstraZeneca inks shot manufacturing deal

By Eric Sagonowsky,Angus Liu,Kyle Blankenship,Conor Hale,Fraiser Kansteiner

The FDA is already buzzing about Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine. Plus, AstraZeneca's shot is still safe and effective, Lancet researchers confirmed. AZ tapped Halix to perform commercial vaccine production in the Netherlands. NeuroRx and Relief recruited enough subjects for their phase 2b/3 aviptadil trial. And the agency behind Kodak's controversial manufacturing loan has been absolved.

Sinovac snags $515M investment to double COVID-19 vaccine capacity as phase 3 readout nears

By Angus Liu

As different COVID-19 vaccines move closer to the finish line, their developers have been raising money from investors or through advance government purchases to ramp up manufacturing. Now, China's Sinovac has done the same for its phase 3 candidate, netting $515 million to double its capacity.

U.S. agency behind Kodak's beefy drug manufacturing loan played by the books, investigation finds: report

By Fraiser Kansteiner

The Inspector General of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, which brokered Eastman Kodak’s ill-fated loan to jump into drug manufacturing, cleared agency officials of any wrongdoing. One thing that could have used some work, though? The timing of the deal's announcement.

COVID-19 Tracker