To view this email as a web page, click here

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 shot sails through FDA panel after staffers sing its praises

Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is one step closer to an emergency nod after an expert panel voted in favor of its emergency use Thursday evening. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 17-4, with one panel member abstaining, that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed its risks for use in people 16 and older.

read more

Top Stories

Weak clinical data force Sanofi, GSK to delay COVID-19 vaccine

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline’s COVID-19 vaccine has failed to trigger the desired immune response in people aged 50 years and older, forcing the partners to rethink the antigen formulation. The setback is expected to delay the availability of the vaccine from mid-2021 to near the end of next year.

read more

Savara says sayonara to pipeline programs, doubles down on Molgradex, cuts staff

Texas-based biotech Savara is killing off much of its pipeline work amid a staffing cull as it sets its focus on troubled lung disease therapy Molgradex.

read more

Sponsored: From Conquering COVID-19 to Curing Cancer, New York City Charts the Future of Life Sciences

The life sciences sector in New York City is on pace to raise $1B in venture funding in 2020, up from just $40 million ten years ago. In addition to NYC’s outstanding talent and funding, the city is rich with life science real estate offerings across the five boroughs.

read more

Sanofi delays hemophilia filing 18 months amid safety concerns

Sanofi’s response to nonfatal thrombotic events in a phase 3 hemophilia program has delayed its plans to seek approval for RNAi drug fitusiran by 18 months. The delay will “allow for the appropriate collection and assessment of safety and efficacy data under the amended protocols.”

read more

Sponsored: Biotech IPOs: Navigating the New Landscape

Biotech IPO markets are booming. But even in a boom, identifying the right time to go public and telling your post-IPO story for how capital deployment translates to value for investors is critical.

read more

Oncolytic immunotherapy biotech CG Oncology nabs $47M round for late-stage cancer push

Californian immuno-oncology biotech CG Oncology has reeled in a $47 million series D—and, surely, an IPO isn’t far behind—as it looks to phase 3 trials.

read more

Rani Therapeutics nets $69M to transform injections into its easy-to-swallow 'robotic pill'

Rani Therapeutics has secured $69 million in new funding to move forward with the manufacturing and clinical testing of its “robotic pill”—a small, swallowable capsule that promises to shepherd more delicate drugs past the stomach before releasing them into the bloodstream.

read more

Fending off heart attacks by getting at their genetic roots

University of Virginia researchers found several naturally occurring gene variants—as well as one specific gene—that influence the formation of the fatty plaques in blood vessels that can cause heart attacks or strokes. The findings could inspire new methods for preventing heart attacks in people with genetic risk factors, they believe.

read more

FiercePharmaAsia—Takeda's CMV, leukemia data; COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac, Clover and Sinopharm

Takeda touted its cytomegalovirus candidate's phase 3 win and Iclusig's five-year chronic myeloid leukemia survival data. Sinovac snagged a $515 million investment to double COVID-19 vaccine capacity. Clover Biopharma kicked off a pivotal trial of its COVID-19 shot paired with a GSK adjuvant. And more.

read more

Chutes & Ladders—Arena Pharma R&D chief Cabell leaves post after 6 months

Arena Pharma R&D chief Cabell leaves company after six months on the job; Zai Lab appoints Roche vet Sandler to research post; 4D hires executive trio.

read more

Resources

Case Study: Aerie fuels new product launches with ZS's REVO analytics platform

Learn how Aerie fueled their product launches with advanced analytics.

Whitepaper: COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials in Children: Challenges on the Horizon

Understanding the Challenges COVID-19 Pediatric Clinical Trials Face | White Paper

Whitepaper: Enabling Fast And Appropriate Drug Product Supply for Phase 1 Clinical Trials

Lack of resources to move from lab concept to the manufacture/delivery of GMP clinical supplies to patients, key milestones can be missed.

Article: Process development and scale-up of pluripotent stem cell manufacturing

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have huge potential to produce cell therapies for many clinical areas. Here we describe a controlled, automated, and defined manufacturing process to fuel demand.

Whitepaper: The Future of Pharmacovigilance

Download the whitepaper to learn how your safety organization can implement automation technologies to enable process and cost efficiencies, improve resource allocation and ensure compliance and quality.

Report: New research indicates an accelerated shift to decentralized clinical trials

New research indicates an accelerated adoption of decentralized clinical trials due to COVID-19.

Research Report: 2020 North America Customer Reference Data Survey

New industry-wide research reveals that the quality and breadth of HCP data is imperative as commercial teams adjust to remote engagement and execute a tailored approach. Read the full report to see all findings and benchmark your organization’s progress.

Whitepaper: Survey Reveals Demand for Clinical Trial Innovation in the Wake of COVID-19

The BBK Worldwide Study Voices 2020 survey gives voice to the healthcare consumer in the wake of COVID-19 and reveals important insights for clinical trial enrollment and engagement.

eBook: Mass Spectrometry-based Host Cell Protein Analysis in Biologics Development

Download this eBook and Learn the Advantages of LC-MS based HCP Profiling for Development of Complex Biologics.

Webinar: Using SPOT™ & CHO-BC® During Cell Line Development for Titers up to 9 g/L

Innovative cell lines and early process development are critical to generate a high producing cell lines alongside a USP strategy to meet high quality standards.

Research: Premier Research Resource Hub

Browse the latest learnings and insights from our clinical development professionals.

Infographic: Reducing Time to Clinic for Your Biomedical Applications

This infographic describes the benefits of GelMA in various biomedical applications and how X-Pure® GelMA can help you in your developments.

Whitepaper: Liquid-Filled Capsules for Highly Potent Drug Compounds

Liquid-filled hard capsule formulations offer unique options for the manufacture and dosing of highly potent actives.

Whitepaper: Gene and Cell Therapy: Planning for Manufacturing Success Early

Gene and cell therapy organizations are asked to balance the need for rapid clinical progression and stringent quality expectations throughout development. In this document, Aldevron provides an in-depth look at preparing for plasmid manufacturing based on our years of experience.

Whitepaper: Companies Need An Effective Remote Workforce Cloud Strategy To Survive

A sound Cloud Strategy provides the flexibility and tools businesses need to quickly adapt and operate securely in an ever-changing remote work environment. Learn how your company can cost-effectively empower its employees to be productive and secure while working remotely.

eBrief: Drug Product Process Development: Ensuring a Consistent, High-quality Biologic

Learn about drug product process development challenges and risks, the difference between innovator and biosimilar drug product process development, and more during the drug product process development phase.

Q&A: Planning Successful Launches

Learn about proven strategies for a successful product launch, including cross-functional team collaboration, risk management and using the right project management tools.

eBook: CMC Considerations for Successful Early Drug Development

This eBook provides insights on key approaches and considerations for preparing your drug development program for long-term success.

Webinar: Phase Appropriate Expertise and Technologies to Accelerate Product Development to Commercialization

In this webinar, pharmaceutical scientists present real-life examples of challenges they’ve overcome in the transfer of oral small molecules from a dedicated early-phase development site to a dedicated late-phase manufacturing site.

Whitepaper: Why Your Business Needs a Ransomware Strategy To Avoid Being Hacked!

Cybercriminals Are Actively Exploiting The Coronavirus Pandemic To Gain Entry To Enterprise Networks. Don’t Let Your Company Become The Next Ransomware Headline -- Make These Changes Now!

Whitepaper: Achieving a Successful Drug Product Technology Transfer

Get insights on key considerations for a successful tech transfer process for manufacturing a biologic drug product, including a case study on overcoming challenges in a process transfer for a sterile diluent.

Executive Summary: Keys to a Successful Rapid Commercial Launch

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are spending years developing drugs or promising new biologics, all with the hopes of saving or enhancing patients’ lives. It’s a “race to the finish” in some cases, and the quicker a company can get its product to patients, the better.

Whitepaper: The Art of Recognizing Clinical Supply Risk Factors

In a BioPharma Dive industry survey, planning and forecasting were identified as top concerns for trial sponsors. In response to this need, the CSM team at Catalent has developed a methodology for identifying, evaluating, and proactively managing the inherent risks involved in clinical trial supply chain management.

Case Study: Establishing Parameters for Success

Learn about a real-world example of how clinical supply management expertise was applied to overcome inventory challenges for a complex, global study.

Fact Sheet: Forecasting to Optimize Clinical Trial Supply Management

Whether a study is simple or highly complex, forecasting and simulation reports serve as data driven communication tools to help minimize risks and keep the study on track. Learn more about forecasting solutions for informed decision making and supporting contingency planning for clinical study.

eBook: Expecting the Unexpected: Strategies for Efficient Clinical Supply Management and Forecasting

Learn how to drive excellence within the forecasting process and utilize forecasting throughout the clinical study to better plan clinical supply budgets and project timelines. Explore how to identify potential supply-related issues before they can negatively impact your study.

Events