Recon: Drugmakers to test vaccines against new coronavirus strain; FDA approves Ridgeback Ebola drug

• Confusion reigns as companies, industries try to navigate US COVID-19 vaccine rollout (Reuters) (KHN)
• FDA grants approval to Ebola drug from Ridgeback (BioPharmaDive) (FDA)
• Fauci, Azar receive coronavirus vaccines at NIH event (Politico)
• Joe Biden receives coronavirus vaccination (Politico)
• A surge of state aid for vaccinations may already be too late (Politico)
• FY 21 Appropriations Provisions and COVID-19 Relief / Stimulus Provisions Related to FDA (Alliance for a Stronger FDA)

• Drugmakers rush to test whether vaccines stop coronavirus variant (Reuters) (FT)
• BioNTech says EU countries that want COVID-19 shots to get them within 5 days (Reuters)
• India likely to approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week – sources (Reuters)
• French medical regulator to decide on COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 24 (Reuters)
• European medicines regulator says cyberattack limited to one IT application (Reuters)
• China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine proves effective in Brazil trials (Reuters)
• Mexico says to receive first vaccines from Pfizer on Wednesday (Reuters)
• AstraZeneca-Amgen drug fails main goal of late-stage asthma study (Reuters)

• The looming questions scientists need to answer about the new variant of the coronavirus (STAT)
• Suspicions grow that nanoparticles in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trigger rare allergic reactions (Science)
• U.S. plans to study allergic reactions from Pfizer’s Covid vaccine (CNBC)
• Swiss start rolling out COVID-19 vaccine, elderly first in queue (Reuters)
• Low Demand For Antibody Drugs Against COVID-19 (NPR)
• Ocugen to co-develop Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate for U.S. (Reuters)
• Malaysia buys AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, seeks more from China, Russia (Reuters)
• CanSino vaccine to be submitted for review in Mexico, minister says (Reuters)
• Serbia gets first batch of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (Reuters)
• Brazil health regulator certifies Sinovac's CoronaVac production standards (Reuters)
• Quidel gets EUA to rival Abbott's rapid, point-of-care antigen test (MedtechDive)

• The most impressive biotech VCs of 2020 (STAT)
• GSK signs collaboration deal with Ligand targeting neurological disorders (PMLive)
• WuXi Bio lays out €150M to take over Bayer plant in Germany, boosting pandemic supply network (Fierce)
• Looking ahead to 2021: Hope for life beyond COVID-19 but shaped by the pandemic (Fierce)
• Vertex Inks RNA Splicing Pact With Skyhawk (Scrip) (Endpoints)
• Amgen Submits Sotorasib Marketing Authorization Application To The European Medicines Agency (Press)
• Atomwise partners with Israeli incubator; Bayer collaborates with Veracyte in thyroid cancer (Endpoints)
• More than 20 years into proteomics quest, SomaLogic keeps adding investors as it nears a potential public offering (Endpoints)
• Rhythm Pharma knocked off stride as mixed PhIII obesity data for its sole big drug look ‘meh’ to many (Endpoints)
• Peter Thiel joins funding round for peptide drug player in latest swing at emerging biotech market (Endpoints)
• Dana-Farber backed Neomorph hunts 'undruggable' proteins with new round of investor cash for hires, development (Endpoints)
• Amid a busy year and new leadership, Lonza looks to build bioconjugates capacity with Swiss expansion set for 2022 (Endpoints)
• A neighborly visit turns into a bidding war: How Dan Skovronsky secured Eli Lilly's latest $1B buy (Endpoints)

• FDA Picks New Target Date For Releasing Its Draft Harmonized Quality System Regulation (MedtechInsight)
• The Times They Are A-Changin’: Opportunities In Medtech Regulation For The UK After Brexit (MedtechInsight)
• A Deep Dive With US FDA’s Suzanne Schwartz: COVID-19, Cybersecurity, Device Shortages, And More (MedtechInsight)

• Federal Circuit Affirms PTAB Finding that Rituxan® Biogen Patent is Invalid (Big Molecule Watch)
• Bracco Diagnostics Inc. v. Maia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2020) (Patent Docs)
• HHS approves rule targeting community health centers' drug discounts (Modern Healthcare)
• How powerful health providers tamed a ‘surprise' billing threat (Politico)