Recon: CDC recommends Pfizer booster for 12- to 15-year-olds; Stryker to buy Vocera for nearly $3B

• CDC recommends Pfizer's COVID-19 booster for ages 12 to 15 (Reuters) (NYT)
• Lifesaving Covid Treatments Face Rationing as Virus Surges Again (NYTimes)
• All vaccinated participants with severe COVID-19 in CDC study had at least one risk factor (The Hill)
• Biden, in Shift Prepares Americans to See Covid-19 as Part of Life (WSJ)
• Containing Covid-19 requires rapid tests that are highly sensitive to infections. Why is the FDA asking for something different? (STAT)
• Medical device maker Stryker to buy Vocera Communications for $2.97 bln (Reuters)

• Omicron may be less severe in young and old, but not 'mild' – WHO (Reuters)
• UK Regulator Issues 41 Innovation Passports In First Year Of New Pathway (The Pink Sheet)
• China rushes to develop an mRNA vaccine as doubts grow over local jabs (FT)
• Gavi and India's Bharat Biotech discuss possible COVAX use of Covaxin (Reuters)
• UK PM Johnson says COVID-19 shots will stay voluntary, attacks anti-vax movement (Reuters)
• Italy mandates boosters for ages 50 and up (The Hill)
• Canada signs deal to buy 20,000 doses of GSK COVID-19 drug Sotrovimab (Reuters)
• Chilean health ministry is urged to issue a compulsory license for the Pfizer Covid pill (STAT)

• NIH collaborating with Clear Creek to develop COVID-19 therapies (BioCentury)
• As Covid policies divide America, Ontario doubles down (again) (Politico)
• Infections at record high, hospitalisations low as Omicron sweeps Israel (Reuters)
• Italy's coronavirus cases hit new daily record of 219,441 Thursday (Reuters)
• Argentina breaks COVID-19 case record as daily infections near 100,000 (Reuters)
• Study raises doubts about rapid Covid tests’ reliability in early days after infection (STAT)
• Omicron spreads in India's big cities but hospitalisations still low (Reuters)
• Austria shortens coronavirus quarantine, presses ahead with mandatory jabs (Reuters)
• Portugal eases COVID-19 rules as hospitalisations low amid record cases (Reuters)
• Philippines' Duterte threatens unvaccinated people with arrest (Reuters)

• Novartis is 'all in' on siRNA, inking a new collaboration with Alnylam to develop alternative to liver transplants (Endpoints)
• The case for Califf: Don’t let politics prevent confirmation of best FDA commissioner candidate (STAT)
• Amgen partners with Flagship's machine learning startup, promising up to $1.9B as Big Pharma ups bet on AI (Endpoints)
• PureTech Takes On Roche With Improved-IPF-Drug (Scrip)
• Executives On The Move: Changes At GlaxoSmithKline, aTyr Pharma And More (Scrip)
• In new post-Merck role, Roger Perlmutter rakes in half a billion dollars to change the way scientists look at proteins (Endpoints)
• Covid-19 roundup: Investors call to link CEO salaries to vaccine access; Why there aren't more initial supplies of the Pfizer pill (Endpoints) (STAT)
• Merck KGaA beefs up its mRNA work with a $780M buyout of a booming player (Endpoints)
• Sanofi tears up Sangamo cell therapy deal in pivot to off-the-shelf approaches (FierceBiotech)
• Longtime Zymeworks CEO, co-founder Tehrani hits the exit in favor of serial biotech entrepreneur (Endpoints)
• ‘It’s almost negligible’: More top hospitals aren’t offering controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm (STAT)

• Abbott, Quidel COVID-19 antigen tests found to lag PCR in detection of omicron (Medtech Dive)
• Emerging Data Raise Questions About Antigen Tests and Nasal Swabs (NYT)
• Swiss Industry Makes Breakthrough For Local Market Device Labeling (MedTechIntelligence)
• Goodbye IMI, Hello IHI: New EU Partnership Prepares To Invite Research Proposals (MedTechIntelligence)

• Delaware Judge Dismisses Guardant Cancer Test IP Suit (Law360)
• Ex-DEA Official Says Cardinal 'Barely' Monitored For Opioids (Law360)
• Stockholders Sue AmerisourceBergen In Del. Over Opioids (Law360)
• Pfizer, Allele Biotech End COVID Vax IP Fight (Law360)
• Pfizer, Roche, AstraZeneca and J&J face newly revived lawsuit claiming they funded terrorism in Iraq (FiercePharma)