Recon: FTC clears AbbVie, Allergan merger; FDA extends review of BMS’ CAR-T drug by three months

• Trump Says Coronavirus Task Force to Shift Focus to Safety and Reopening Economy (WSJ)
• US regulator clears AbbVie’s $63bn deal for Allergan (Financial Times) (STAT) (Press)
• AstraZeneca diabetes drug gets US nod to treat heart failure (Reuters) (Endpoints) (FDA)
• FDA extends review of Bristol Myers' cancer therapy acquired in Celgene deal (Reuters) (Endpoints)
• Gilead Seeks Deals With Other Drugmakers to Boost Supply of Covid-19 Drug (WSJ) (Reuters) (STAT)
• Who can make Gilead's coronavirus drug, licence free? (Reuters)
• Ousted vaccine expert accuses HHS of political pressure in formal complaint (Politico) (NYTimes)
• Trump’s Virus Drug Whim Costs Millions, Even as the Mania Wanes (Bloomberg)
• Most Americans would take coronavirus vaccine if deemed safe: Reuters/Ipsos poll (Reuters)

• Sanofi to enroll thousands for its coronavirus vaccine trials (Reuters)
• Coronavirus: Prostate-cancer men swap chemo for precision drugs (BBC)
• Novo Nordisk's drug sales boosted by virus-related stockpiling (Reuters)
• Roche Actemra studies against COVID-19 could be done this month: NZZ (Reuters)
• Ferring's therapy curbs recurrent superbug infection: study (Reuters)
• Remdesivir Likely to Get Japan Nod on May 7 (PharmaJapan) (Reuters)
• Top Australian biotech firm CSL joins virus treatment race (Reuters)
• France's BioMerieux launches product to identify coronavirus antibodies (Reuters)
• India to send nearly 1,000 tonnes of paracetamol raw material to Europe (Reuters)
• Millions of people are expected to fall ill with tuberculosis due to coronavirus lockdown (CNBC)
• Global regulators work towards alignment on policy approaches and regulatory flexibility during COVID-19 (EMA)

• Study suggests coronavirus spread swiftly around world in late 2019 (Reuters)
• With New Hot Spots Emerging, No Sign of a Respite (NYTimes)
• Scientists say a now-dominant strain of the coronavirus could be more contagious than original (LA Times)
• Beware Overblown Claims of Dangerous Coronavirus Strains (The Atlantic)
• Woodcock Said To Have Guided Hydroxychloroquine EUA In ‘Brokered Compromise’ To Limit Use (Pink Sheet)
• New reagent available to support global diagnostic testing of coronavirus (COVID-19) (MHRA)
• US, UK officials warn of cyberattacks on hospitals, research facilities on coronavirus front lines (NBC)
• How Kushner’s volunteer force led a fumbling hunt for medical supplies (NYTimes)
• Increased Irish testing shows slowing coronavirus spread (Reuters)
• Herd Immunity, or Big 2nd Wave? Israel Antibody Testing Hopes to Find Out (NYTimes)
• Details of a New Anti-Coronovirus Neutralizing Antibody (In the Pipeline)
• U.S. sends Mexico planeload of ventilators to fight coronavirus (Reuters)
• The race is on for antibodies that stop the new coronavirus (Science)
• US coronavirus deaths exceed 70,000 as forecasting models predict grim summer (Reuters)
• Asia coronavirus cases hit 250,000 but pace much slower than U.S., Europe (Reuters)
• Russia's coronavirus cases rise by more than 10,000 for fourth straight day (Reuters)
• Sweden, UK and three other European nations are not seeing a drop in coronavirus cases, EU agency says (CNBC)
• NICE publishes rapid COVID-19 guideline for acute kidney injury (PharmaTimes)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup May 5, 2020 (FDA)

• National Lab Taps AI Machine With Massive Chip to Fight Coronavirus (WSJ)
• Another sparse round of NASH data; TG raises $60M after PhIII success (Endpoints)
• PhRMA And AAM Urge New Approaches In Dealing With COVID-19 Supply Chain Disruptions (Pink Sheet)
• Roche flashes new 16-week bispecific AMD data, setting eyes on pair of PhIII trials (Endpoints)
• Amgen Announces Positive Top-Line Results From Otezla® Phase 3 Advance Study In Mild-To-Moderate Plaque Psoriasis (Reuters) (Press)
• Seattle Genetics, Astellas' bladder cancer med Padcev blows early expectations out of the water (Fierce)
• Boehringer Ingelheim adds second AI partner in a month (Endpoints)
• J&J R&D exec Najat Khan — and data science — are getting an elevated role at the pharma giant (Endpoints)
• After big 2016 setback, field of microbiome-based drugs gets injection of promise with positive signal from Rebiotix pivotal study (Endpoints)
• 'It's pure art': Versant, GV reveal $60M bet that a clearer look at inflammasomes can lead to better drugs (Endpoints)
• William Haddad, Crusader for Generic Drugs, Dies at 91 (NYTimes)

• Fitbit launches study to test irregular heartbeat detection of devices (Reuters)
• Apple Heart Study researchers find success in recruitment, struggle with engagement (MobiHealthNews)
• Guardant offers 'encouraging' colorectal cancer screening update, as analysts await further data (MedtechDive)
• Smith+Nephew April sales halve as elective surgeries take backseat (MassDevice)
• AHA, societies share new roadmap amid restarts to TAVR, other postponed procedures (MedtechDive)
• Inspire Medical up on Q1 mixed bag (MassDevice)
• Baxter Announces Results of Clinical Trial on Benefits of Dynamic Fluid Management in Septic Shock Patients (Press)

• US Supreme Court hears Obamacare contraception Case; Ginsburg takes part (Reuters)
• Animal Health International Sentenced on Federal Misbranding Charge (FDA)
• USPTO Extends Certain Deadlines to June 1 Due to COVID-19 Pandemic (Big Molecule Watch)
• Rep. Neal Calls For 90-Day Hold On Medical Product Duties (Law360)
• New HIV Antitrust Complaint, Same Problems, Gilead Says (Law360)
• Manufacturer Can't Claim Hand Sanitizer Stops Diseases (Law360)
• Pfizer Inc. v. Chugai Pharmaceuticals Co. (Fed. Cir. 2020) (Patent Docs)
• Post-Albrecht Preemption Persistently Pummels Pradaxa Plaintiffs (Drug & Device Law)
• Exemption to enable timely access to radiopharmaceuticals and RAI (TGA)