Recon: EU to spend up to $2.7B upfront on COVID-19 vaccines; FDA approves Viela’s NMOSD treatment

• Viela Bio’s Uplizna Therapy Gets FDA Approval (Bloomberg) (Endpoints) (FDA)
• Hedge fund manager stands to profit on ‘flip’ of taxpayer-funded coronavirus drug (Washington Post)
• New Long-Acting Insulin Drug Enters Market With FDA Approval (Bloomberg) (Pink Sheet)
• Agios drug demonstrates strong response in patients with inherited blood disorder (STAT)
• Apellis counters Alexion’s critique, clears up FDA questions as blockbuster decision looms (Endpoints)

• EU states back spending up to $2.7 billion upfront on COVID-19 vaccines (Reuters 1, 2) (Financial Times)
• Brazil research institute in deal to help test, produce Chinese coronavirus vaccine (Reuters)
• India's Zydus Cadila to make Gilead's potential COVID-19 drug remdesivir (Reuters)
• Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (EMA)
• Bottlenecks? Glass vial makers prepare for COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters)
• Will Zolgensma Delay Spur Revision of Sakigake Designation System? (PharmaJapan)

• Coronavirus Can Set Off a ‘Cytokine Storm.’ These Drugs May Calm It. (NYTimes)
• Australian clot-busting drug holds hope for COVID-19 treatment (Reuters)
• Coronavirus vaccine: US Chamber of Commerce calls for more transparency from big pharma over licensing deals (Independent)
• Moderna burnishes its PhIII-ready Covid-19 vaccine with promising mouse data — which suggest one dose might be enough after all (Endpoints)
• Coronavirus Vaccine Update, June 11 (In The Pipeline)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup June 11, 2020 (FDA)
• South Korea to extend virus guidelines on prevention, sanitation (Reuters)

• One of biotech’s biggest conferences grapples with how to talk about race and identity (STAT)
• How a vaccine made of mosquito spit could help stop the next epidemic (Reuters)
• Drug Sales Reps Stow the Sample Case and Turn to Zoom (Bloomberg)
• LentiGlobin continues to deliver in latest sickle cell update as bluebird outlines path to accelerated approval, despite patient death (Endpoints)
• Vertex and CRISPR spotlight another important gene editing advance in a march to a hoped-for cure (Endpoints) (STAT)
• Another domino falls: MIT ends negotiations with Elsevier over research access dispute (STAT)
• UPS expands healthcare footprint, shifting focus to vaccines (SupplyChainDive)
• Sanofi and Regeneron outline Dupixent plans; Industry lobbying brings £30 million for UK's Biomedical Catalyst (Endpoints)
• 'Rising star' CEO recounts path from pre-med to breakthrough meds; Dendreon taps Big Pharma vet Jason O'Neill as CEO (Endpoints)
• The pandemic IPOs keep rolling, as Generation, Avidity, Vaxcyte each claim 200M+ (Endpoints)

• ADA 2020 kicks off with key data on Medtronic's 780G, Insulet's Horizon (MedtechDive)
• Moody's cuts medtech outlook, pegs J&J, Zimmer among hardest hit by COVID-19 fallout (MedtechDive)
• CMS to review at-home ventilation of COPD patients amid variability in device use (MedtechDive)
• NCI develops viral antibody blood test to boost liver cancer screening (Fierce)
• Class 1 Device Recall Ovation iX Abdominal Stent Graft System (FDA)

• Alexion and Amgen Settle IPRs Over SOLIRIS (eculizumab) (Big Molecule Watch)