Recon: Merck KGaA to buy SpringWorks for over $3B; US tariffs could increase drug spending by $51B per year

• U.S. health officials inject new uncertainty into approval process for Covid boosters (STAT)
• Our 7 biggest questions as Congress returns to work (STAT)
• Exclusive: US pharma tariffs would raise US drug costs by $51 billion annually, report finds (Reuters)
• Merck KGaA to purchase SpringWorks Therapeutics in deal worth more than $3 billion (STAT) (Reuters)
• Novavax responds to FDA’s trial ask, with Covid vaccine strain updates under scrutiny (Endpoints)
• Not so fast on the FDA’s food dye ban — the Supreme Court has changed the rules (The Hill)
• FDA commissioner says ‘no plans’ to pull abortion pill mifepristone (Semafor)

• Akeso wins Chinese approval for cancer drug positioned to rival Merck’s Keytruda (STAT)
• Novo Nordisk's obesity drug Wegovy debuts in Thailand (Reuters)
• Sandoz CEO slams EU-wide drug price proposal, warns US tariffs will hurt patient access (Reuters)
• Singapore negotiating for US concessions on pharmaceuticals, chips (Reuters)
• France stops Valneva's chikungunya vaccine rollout in over 65s after safety issue (Endpoints)
• European regulators recommend new drugs from Vertex, Amgen and Jazz (Endpoints)
• Lilly requests EMA to re-examine Alzheimer's drug recommendation (Reuters)

• Major tuberculosis vaccine trial completes enrollment faster than expected (STAT)
• Boehringer’s updated results in HER2-mutated lung cancer impress (Endpoints)
• Revolution Medicines' KRAS drug shows potential in early cut of lung cancer data (Endpoints)
• Daiichi Sankyo says production boost in US will help cushion tariff impact (Endpoints)
• GSK’s checkpoint blocker Jemperli cures biomarker-driven rectal cancer (Endpoints)
• Keytruda around head and neck cancer surgery cuts chance of disease coming back (Endpoints)
• J&J reports durability data for bladder cancer 'pretzel' drug after FDA filing (Endpoints)

• Tariffs are hitting surgical robots and pacemakers, but device companies aren’t sweating it, yet (STAT)
• Revvity beats quarterly estimates on steady demand for medical equipment (Reuters)
• Exclusive: Can AI replace animal testing? A new biotech launches to find out (MedTech Dive)
• Boston Scientific CFO Dan Brennan to retire after nearly 30 years with the company (MedTech Dive)
• Michael Greiner leaves Avanos over offer under new CEO (MedTech Dive)
• ‘AI Isn’t Flying Off The Shelves In The NHS,’ Says Healthtech Startup CEO (MedTech Insight)

• The latest tariff challenge for businesses? Setting prices. (Food Dive)
• Meat giant JBS gets SEC approval to list shares in US (Food Dive)
• PepsiCo CEO says snacks maker ‘accelerating’ transition to natural ingredients (Food Dive)
• USDA Finds Meat, Poultry, Farmed Catfish are PFAS-Free; but Detects PFAS in Half of Wild Catfish (Food Safety)

• UnitedHealth discloses $1.7 million in security spending after slaying of top exec (STAT)
• ‘Fight for your science’: Researchers urged to speak out at AACR (STAT)
• Rural health study is told it’s losing federal funds, and other major heart studies are worried (STAT)
• NIH announces six new acting institute directors, many of them filling posts of ousted predecessors (STAT)
• HRS Released Framework For Afib Center Of Excellence To Improve Outcomes Through Multidisciplinary Care (MedTech Insight)
• Former FDA Head Tells Heart Society To ‘Get Involved’ To Protect Health Innovation (MedTech Insight)