Recon: Drug shortages climbed to record high in Q4; Vertex to acquire Alpine Immune for nearly $5 billion

• $10 billion long Covid ‘moonshot’ is being floated by Bernie Sanders (STAT)
• Vertex to buy Alpine Immune Sciences for $4.9 billion (STAT)
• Drug shortages reached a record high as 2023 drew to a close (STAT)
• Regeneron accused by Justice Department of manipulating Medicare pricing (STAT)
• Medicare expects to spend $3.5 billion on new Alzheimer’s drug in 2025 (STAT)
• NCI director expresses optimism about next era of cancer research, despite shrinking budget and brain drain (STAT)
• Pfizer settles 12-year-old lawsuit in alleged pay-for-delay scheme for $39M (Fierce Pharma)
• Bausch wins US appeal to block Alvogen generic of diarrhea drug (Reuters)

• European Parliament votes in favor of updated pharma legislation, prompting mixed reactions (STAT)
• EU Parliament Adopts Updated Pharma Package Despite Some Political Disagreement (Pink Sheet)
• Moderna halts African facility build as Covid-19 vaccine demand plummets (Endpoints)
• English Funding For Aquipta Targets AbbVie’s Migraine Drug To 170,000 People (Pink Sheet)
• Industry Calls On G20 To Boost Regulatory Harmonization & Tackle AMR (Pink Sheet)

• When a cancer drug fails, oncologists often fly blind. A precision technique might light the way (STAT)
• Gas prices are hurting biotech (STAT)
• AskBio CSO steps down, has new project in stealth mode (STAT)
• Did you say 486%? Why one company thinks such a price hike for its drug is justified (STAT)
• Cancer vaccines gain momentum, after years of disappointing results (STAT)
• Novartis wanted just one drug from MorphoSys before upping bid for whole company, document reveals (STAT)
• Fresh off ALS drug withdrawal, Amylyx touts interim rare disease data for the same therapy (Endpoints)
• After approvals for one of cancer's 'undruggable' targets, research into new KRAS therapies booms: #AACR24 (Endpoints)
• Exclusive: Genentech plans to cut 3% of workforce across several units, company says (Endpoints)
• Novartis lines up protein degrader deal with Pfizer-allied Arvinas (Endpoints)
• API Innovation Center looks to bolster US cancer drug supplies with Apertus deal, new tech (Fierce Pharma)
• FDA lambasts Kilitch for unsanitary manufacturing conditions and issues warning letter to Natco, too (Fierce Pharma)

• Steris to sell dental segment for $787.5M (MedTech Dive)
• Illumina CFO steps down amid executive shakeup (MedTech Dive)
• Consent Decree Against Philips Entered In Federal Court, Outlines ‘Roadmap’ For Compliance (MedTech Insight)
• ‘Biggest Transformation In The History Of Medicine’: Oncologist And Cardiologist Talk AI-Enabled Health Care (MedTech Insight)
• FDA expands import alert to block all plastic syringes from Chinese manufacturer (MedTech Dive)

• Medicaid redetermination cost community health centers an average of $600K each (STAT)
• Telehealth providers can drive antibiotic overuse — or choose to combat it (STAT)
• To rebuild trust in public health: Better communication, fewer mandates, and small wins (STAT)
• Mental health screening tools for kids are 30 years out of date (STAT)
• Clinical Trial Diversity Requires Sponsors Work With An Assortment Of Patient Advocates, Community Organizations (Pink Sheet)