Recon: Merck strikes deal with Yumanity for neurodegenerative disease drugs; Feds allege Regeneron used charity to pay kickbacks

• Federal prosecutors allege Regeneron used a charity to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients (STAT)
• Yumanity Therapeutics, Merck strike deal aimed at developing new medicines for neurodegenerative disease (STAT) (Endpoints)
• FDA urged to heighten safety warnings on common type 2 diabetes drugs (STAT) (Public Citizen)
• By $4M, La Jolla outbids Melinta for struggling Tetraphase (BioPharmaDive) (Endpoints)
• FDA lifts partial hold on cancer drug after Innate resolves manufacturing issue (Endpoints)
• Fauci says White House told NIH to cancel funding for bat virus study (Politico)

• EU May Bar American Travelers as It Reopens Borders, Citing Failures on Virus (NYTimes)
• UK Biotechs Maintain Fundraising During Pandemic (Scrip)
• UK Supreme Court strikes down Regeneron patents, opening door for Kymab (Endpoints)
• Sanofi's fight for a better research reputation (BioPharmaDive)
• The ICH Plans To Propose Q14 Guideline On Analytical Testing In January (Pink Sheet)
• UK Home office reclassifies Epidyolex as a Schedule 5 drug (Pharmafile)
• Top UK Court Invalidates Regeneron's Lab Mice Patents (Law360)
• A Swiss-Japanese alliance that has thrived in the crisis (Financial Times)

• The ‘hard slog’ of waiting for a coronavirus vaccine (Politico)
• All You Wanted To Know About Coronavirus Vaccine Science But Were Afraid To Ask (NPR)
• UK launches new national COVID-19 test validation project (Fierce)
• Inovio gets US government backing for vaccine delivery device (BioPharmaDive)
• 5-minute, quantitative COVID-19 antibody test snags BARDA backing (MedtechDive)
• In Poor Countries, Many Covid-19 Patients Are Desperate for Oxygen (NYTimes)
• COVID-19 And IP: Companies Are 'Taking A Chance' Sharing Clinical Trial Details (Pink Sheet)
• Rohto to Launch Stem Cell Clinical Trial for COVID-19 in August, Eyes Conditional OK (PharmaJapan)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup June 23, 2020 (FDA)

• A virtual biotech incubator is launching with the help of Evotec and Samsara, looking for a few good scientists in need of seed cash for spinouts (Endpoints)
• Competitive orphan drug market will drive down prices, OptumRx predicts (Fierce)
• Nurturing A Culture Of “Smart Speed” To Bring Gene Therapy To The World (LifeSciVC)
• Gene Therapies Will Be A Bigger Cost Issue In 2021, PwC Predicts (Scrip)
• Driving CARs to clear senescent cells (Nature)
• Sangamo R&D chief hits the exit as it splits R&D into separate units (Fierce)
• Day one: The disruptor-in-chief at BridgeBio invites Brent Saunders onto the board (Endpoints)
• Engineering a better immunotherapy to outwit cancer — and launch a biotech (STAT)
• A preliminary new method could restore the brain cells Parkinson’s disease patients lost (STAT)
• Biogeneration Ventures raises $119M for new fund, adding a personal record to series of VC raises (Endpoints)
• Better than Eylea, as durable as gene therapy? Perceptive, Xontogeny boost ophthalmic startup's shot for best of all worlds (Endpoints)
• With its campus expanding as gene therapy booms, Aldevron brings in a top exec from a medtech giant to steer the course (Endpoints)
• Biohaven reports another trial failure for troriluzole; Cyclica raises C$23M for AI driven discovery platform (STAT)

• Baxter, B. Braun infusion pumps among millions of devices implicated in Ripple20 cyber alert (MedtechDive)
• Mainstay wins FDA approval for chronic back pain device following mixed clinical data (MedtechDive)
• New Guardant genomic database could be worth $2B, analysts say (MedtechDive)
• Procedures for Conducting In-Person Usability Testing During COVID-19 Pandemic (Emergo)

• Biopharma Patentees Must Navigate Inherent Obviousness (Law360)
• Obviousness Doomed Narcan Patents After NJ Bench Trial (Law360)
• Philips Says Chinese Rivals Can't Skirt Ill. Trade Secret Suit (Law360)
• Women With Cancer Awarded Billions in Baby Powder Suit (NYTimes) (Reuters)
• Purdue Gets OK For $6.5M Investment In Overdose Drug (Law360)
• Purdue Wants Sackler Claims To Stay Blocked By Ch. 11 (Law360)
• Chicago Says Drug Cos. Shouldn't Exit Opioid Bellwether Suit (Law360)
• Much-Needed Clarity on Disgorgement from the Supreme Court (FDA Law Blog)
• Maryland Federal Court Holds Breast Implant Claims Preempted (Drug & Device Law)
• Agencies Hit With FOIA Suit Over Request For DNA Docs (Law360)