Recon: Eli Lilly, Rigel in $960 autoimmune tie-up; New WTO chief calls to end COVID export restrictions

• Researchers urge delaying Pfizer vaccine's second dose as first highly effective (Reuters) (NEJM)
• Eli Lilly in deal with Rigel to develop autoimmune therapy for up to $960 million (Reuters)
• Johnson & Johnson has only a few million COVID-19 vaccine doses in stock as likely launch nears (Reuters) (CNBC)
• CDC Announces $200 Million ‘Down Payment’ to Track Virus Variants (NYTimes)
• Biden admin will spend $1.6B to expand Covid-19 testing and sequencing (Politico)
• Clinical Trials Are Moving Out of the Lab and Into People’s Homes (NYTimes)
• Botox Rival Stays on US Market After Court Order; Evolus Rises (Bloomberg)
• States still can’t import drugs from Canada. Now, many are seeking to import Canadian prices (STAT)
• US will pay WHO more than $200 million in membership fees withheld by Trump (CNBC)
• US administers 56.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines (Reuters)
• Biden picks Brooks-LaSure to run Medicare, Medicaid agency (Politico) (STAT)

• AstraZeneca vaccine faces resistance in Europe after health workers suffer side-effects (Reuters)
• EU Health Security Committee agrees on a common list of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests (EC)
• BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is less potent against South African variant (FT) (STAT)
• WTO Chief Calls on Nations to End Covid Export Restrictions (Bloomberg)
• Countries to get confirmation soon on COVAX vaccines, but should expect small initial shipments: PAHO (Reuters)
• India's Bharat Biotech pursues COVID-19 vaccine approval in over 40 countries (Reuters)
• Coronavirus Vaccine Nears Final Tests in Cuba. Tourists May Be Inoculated. (NYTimes)
• Emmanuel Macron urges Europe to send vaccines to Africa now (FT)
• WHO deploys team to battle Ebola outbreaks (The Hill)
• More than 11,000 Ebola vaccines expected in Guinea this weekend (Reuters)
• Fujifilm's Avigan shows no significant benefit on COVID-19 mortality: study (Reuters)

• New York's Mount Sinai Ends Blood-Plasma Treatment for Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients (WSJ)
• Sinovac vaccine works on UK, South African variants - Brazil institute (Reuters)
• Saudi Arabia approves AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine, state TV reports (Reuters)
• Hong Kong approves China's Sinovac vaccine, rollout from February 26 (Reuters)
• Brazil’s coronavirus vaccine rollout beset by supply problems (FT)
• DHS seizes over 11 million counterfeit 3M N95 masks, more raids to come (CNBC)
• South Korea to double syringe supplies for COVID-19 vaccine campaign (Reuters)
• Inspectors force AstraZeneca's Mexico vaccine partner to overhaul its factory, holding up shot production (Fierce)
• FDA could reject AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine on efficacy and manufacturing shortfalls: analyst (Fierce)
• COVID Therapeutics Progress (Or Lack Thereof) May Be Political Vulnerability For US FDA (Pink Sheet)
• Pakistan to receive 2.8 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine under COVAX scheme on March 2 (Reuters)
• Everlywell’s home COVID-19 testing kit goes direct-to-consumer (Fierce)
• Efanesoctocog alfa granted FDA Fast Track Designation for treatment of hemophilia A (Press)

• Covid crushed in-person pharma sales. Tech is pitching itself as a solution (STAT)
• The Covid effect has triggered some radical changes to the top 50 biopharma list, bringing a whole new group of players into the big league (Endpoints)
• Pharma’s ambitious new antibiotic venture hires a CEO to fix a ‘broken’ pipeline (STAT)
• 5 years later, CAR-T pioneer Kymriah offers jaw-dropping evidence of durable remissions — even as it still proves a tough sell (Endpoints)
• Royalty Pharma gets more competition as a private equity firm launches $725M royalty-buying fund (Endpoints)
• Immunic's lead drug fails to impress in 2 separate trials — and it's blaming some of its woes on the pandemic (Endpoints)
• EU approves Tukysa combo for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer (PharmaTimes)
• Charles River jumps into cell and gene therapy manufacturing with $875M Cognate buy (Fierce)
• Zyntgelo Advocates Accuse UK HTA Body Of Failing To 'Understand Patients' Lived Experience’ (Pink Sheet)
• SpyBiotech cashes in on Serum Institute deal, netting $32.5M round for its 'superglue' VLP vaccine tech (Endpoints)
• A step behind its major exosome challenger, Evox scores $95M round for final leg of race to the clinic (Endpoints)
• Eduardo Bravo returns to bring European biotech in on the SPAC splurge (Endpoints)
• Houston's Avance Biosciences announces another expansion, this time focused on cell-based assays (Endpoints)
• Advent Life Sciences launches two funds totaling $215M, and teams with Harrington Discovery Institute to translate research (Endpoints)
• Century Therapeutics boosts iPSC manufacturing space in New Jersey as part of company wide expansion (Endpoints)
• VC style returns on 'unsexy' public health bets? Gates-backed Adjuvant Capital gathers $300M to mend a 'failure of imagination' (Endpoints)
• A month after multi-billion dollar Novartis deal, BeiGene follows up with 'reverse' deal (Endpoints)
• EMA Clarifies GCP Inspector Authority Over Accessing Patient Records (Pink Sheet)
• Dermavant shows deepening effects of tapinarof on psoriasis ahead of FDA filing (Fierce)
• FDA Refuse-To-File Decisions Are Rare, But CMC And Ignoring Agency Advice Are Often Triggers (Pink Sheet)
• Chugai Re-Files Patent Suit over Edirol, Now Focuses on Crystalline Form (PharmaJapan)

• FDA approves 3D-printed ankle implant for humanitarian use (MedtechDive)
• EU Must Up Pressure To Secure Swiss Device MRA Or Transitional Arrangements (MedtechInsight)
• Zimmer Biomet taps former Medtronic exec to lead new spine, dental spinoff (Fierce)
• Exact Sciences-Guardant rivalry in colorectal testing market heats up (MedtechDive)
• Smith & Nephew Q4 knee sales plummet, exceeding drops reported by Stryker and Zimmer Biomet (MedtechDive)
• A Closer Look at FDA’s Newly Released AI/ML Action Plan (Harvard Bill of Health)
• In brief: Saudi classification guidance explicates submissions process and product changes (Emergo)

• Senate Democrats unveil health care proposal with public option (The Hill)
• HHS Assails Eli Lilly's Bid To Halt Drug Discount Rule (Law360)
• Sackler Family Can't Keep Names Of Its Businesses Secret (Law360)
• McKesson Whistleblowers' Opioid FCA Suit Sunk By Escobar (Law360)
• US Pharma Faces First Drug Pricing Fight Of 2021 (Pink Sheet)
• Indiana Senate panel advances bill that would pass along drug rebates to consumers (IBJ)
• Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. v. Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Fed. Cir. 2021) (Patent Docs)