Recon: AbbVie to Split Allergan Cosmetics Into Separate Unit; Pharmacy Chains Sue Prescribers in Opioid Spat

• AbbVie to house Allergan Botox business in separate unit (BioPharmaDive)
• Less Is More for Big Pharma in 2020 (WSJ)
• Why Humira’s price keeps rising despite FDA approval of generic competition (Washington Post)
• At 2020 deadline, progress in Patrick Soon-Shiong’s ‘cancer moonshot’ is hard to find (STAT)
• Pharmacies say prescribers bear opioid crisis responsibility (ABC) (Washington Post)
• Cancer Death Rate in US Sees Sharpest One-Year Drop (NYTimes) (STAT) (WSJ)
• Drugmakers won't replace opioids anytime soon (Politico)
• Federal Investigators Can Intervene In Perrigo Takeover Row (Law360-$)
• A new biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry commitment to patients and the public (STAT)
• Arena Pharma CEO Targets Brain Diseases as Next Drug Frontier (Bloomberg)
• Can a Drug's $500,000 Price Withstand Competition? (Bloomberg)

• Sun Pharma eyes China, Japan markets (Economic Times)
• Almirall eyes $62m takeover of multicytokine specialist Bioniz (PMLive)
• WuXi-backed Adagene scores $69M round led by General Atlantic to push antibodies where Bristol-Myers struggled (Endpoints)
• Anger over UK's failure to ban breast implants linked to 61 cancer cases (The Guardian)
• Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd has achieved WHO prequalification for Pneumosil (Press)
• Eight Chinese sufferers of unidentified virus released from hospital (Reuters)
• WHO Drafts Policy on Designating Regulators as Listed Authorities (Focus)
• Asia Regulatory Roundup: India Gives Device Manufacturers Another Year to Meet Drug Regulations (Focus)

• Verastem pens KRAS-focused drug licensing deal with Chugai (Fierce)
• A New Approach to Cancer Treatment Draws Lessons From Darwin (WSJ)
• FDA Updates Compliance Guide on Pre-approval Inspections for Drugs (Focus)
• Novartis' AveXis opens Zolgensma plant in Colorado with 350 employees (Fierce)
• Just how big is the biopharma dealmaking world? In 2019 we saw megabillions in cash change hands, and that's just the tip of the iceberg (Endpoints)
• Miracle drugs can’t help if they aren’t affordable (Baltimore Sun)
• n-Lorem Foundation launches to develop individualized therapies for ultra-rare diseases (C&EN) (Endpoints)
• Millennium Health Donates Data to Help Fight the Drug Overdose Crisis (HHS)
• FibroGen names Lilly veteran as new CEO (Pharmafile)
• New recommendations could get innovative treatments to cancer patients quicker (PharmaTimes)
• A Fine Balance: Report Aims to Combat Opioid Epidemic, Manage Pain (Medscape)
• Pear Therapeutics licenses voice biomarkers for dementia and psychiatric disorders (STAT)
• Mirati Adds Execs With Commercial Experience at Spark, Bristol-Myers (Xconomy)
• Galen completes acquisition of healthcare company POA Pharma (PMLive)
• Patients push limits for clues to chronic fatigue syndrome (STAT)
• NorthSea raises $40M to wrap up phase 2b NASH trial (Fierce) (PMLive) (Press)
• Xencor, Verastem ink new deals; Scynexis' lead drug scores again (Endpoints)
• Mark Alles begins his post-Celgene career on the board of a US-China biotech led by a former colleague (Endpoints)
• Aim for the brain: RA Capital bets on Colorado biotech to reformulate epilepsy drug for refractory patients (Endpoints)
• Mayo Clinic helps tech-enabled R&D shop nference to $60M B round (Fierce) (Endpoints)
• Bristol-Myers' ex-chief scientific officer joins Fred Hutchinson as president (Fierce) (Endpoints)
• Analysts weigh in on what to expect in biopharma this year (MedCity)
• Appco Pharma LLC Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Ranitidine Hydrochloride Capsules 150 mg and 300 mg Due to an Elevated Amount of Unexpected Impurity, N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) (FDA)

• NANOBIOTIX Announces Plan for Global Phase III Head and Neck Cancer Registration Trial Along With Overall Development Update (Press)
• Promethera® Announces Initiation of Phase 2b DHELIVER Study of HepaStem™ in Patients with Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) (Press)
• SCYNEXIS Announces Positive Results from the Second Interim Analysis of Ongoing Phase 3 FURI Study, Demonstrating Oral Ibrexafungerp's Ability to Treat Severe Fungal Infections in the Hospital Setting (Press)
• PellePharm Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Patidegib Topical Gel for People With High Frequency Basal Cell Carcinoma (Press)
• Certara Partners with Galderma in Advancing Modeling and Simulation Technology to Attain FDA Approval of AKLIEF® Topical Acne Cream (Press)
• Catabasis Pharmaceuticals and Duchenne UK Announce Partnership to Evaluate Edasalonexent in a Phase 2 Non-Ambulatory Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Trial (Press)

• A Q&A with FDA’s Amy Abernethy on how the agency is grappling with digital health regulation (STAT)
• US FDA issues updates to classification regulations, hires verification services (Emergo)
• FDA OKs alternative to open heart surgery for Abbott's HeartMate 3 pump (MedtechDive)
• OrthoPediatrics sells Vilex assets in preparation for more M&A (MedtechDive)
• Digital health M&A flatlines in 2019, but IPO activity promising (MedtechDive)
• Bio-Rad Laboratories appoints new head of clinical diagnostics group (MassDevice)

• 'Burner' phones and Ariad secrets: Goldman Sachs banker pleads guilty for his role in global insider trading ring (Endpoints)
• Allergan Accused Of Playing Dirty In Breast Implant MDL (Law360-$) (MassDevice)
• 'Opioid Babies' Seek Class Cert. In MDL (Law360-$)
• Whistleblower Fights Safeway's Bid To End Drug Price Suit (Law360-$)
• Sarepta Investors Sue In Delaware Over Drug Risk Disclosures (Law360-$)
• Fed. Circ. Partially Revives Amgen's Sensipar Patent Fight (Law360-$)
• Constitutional Limitations on Product Liability? (Drug & Device Law)
• AAM Statement on "The Unintended Economics of the BLOCKING Act" Report (AAM)
• NCPA Available for Comment on Potential SCOTUS PBM Case (NCPA)
• Focus Needed Not Just On Drugs But Hospital Expenses To Impact Healthcare Costs (Forbes)
• Largest study yet offers no clear talc link to ovarian cancer (Reuters)

• FDA Advisory Committee Calendar

• Examining the issue formerly known as Brexit (Emergo)
• Spain's Esteve sells a plant then buys one as it refocuses on specialty drugs (Fierce)
• Walgreens Boots Alliance confirms that 28 Boots stores have been closed (Pharmaceutical Journal)

• China court jails founder of traditional medicine firm over pyramid scheme (Reuters)
• Avacta and Daewoong form cell and gene therapies JV (PharmaLetter-$)

• Cabinet gives ex-post-facto nod to MoC between health department, Gates Foundation (Economic Times)
• Punjab FDA gets 13 drug inspectors and 12 drug analysts; DCA proposes to create post of DDCs (PharmaBiz)

• Variations to prescription medicines - excluding variations requiring evaluation of clinical or bioequivalence data, Appendix 1: Variation types - chemical entities (TGA)

• New Guidance Explains How Regulators Can Begin the Process to Join PIC/S (Focus)

• Analysis of commercial DNA tests finds inconsistent coverage (Reuters)