Recon: Novo’s semaglutide shows promise for weight loss in Phase III trial; EU nears deal with Novavax

• Merck in talks with governments, other drugmakers to produce COVID-19 shots (Reuters)
• How Merck, a Vaccine Titan, Lost the Covid Race (NYTimes)
• Can’t Find an N95 Mask? This Company Has 30 Million That It Can’t Sell. (NYTimes)
• OWS: Accelerated COVID-19 Vaccine Development Status and Efforts to Address Manufacturing Challenges (GAO)
• Biden admin asks SCOTUS to uphold Obamacare, reversing Trump support for lawsuit (Politico)
• US still falling short on basic tools to fight the virus (Politico)
• Fauci: Vaccines for Kids as Young as First Graders Could Be Authorized by September (ProPublica)
• Drug Prices by Committee: One Way Biden Could Lower Costs (NYTimes)

• EU close to vaccine supply deal with Novavax (Reuters)
• AstraZeneca aims to accelerate adaptation of vaccine for new Covid variants (FT)
• AstraZeneca expects COVID-19 vaccine capacity of 200 million a month by April (Reuters)
• Belgian plant says it complies with AstraZeneca contract amid vaccine supply cuts (Reuters)
• Germany's IDT to help make AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters) (FT)
• Not perfect, but saves lives, AstraZeneca says as Africa backs COVID-19 shot (Reuters)
• AstraZeneca sales rise 10% in 2020, drugmaker sees revenue growth ahead (CNBC)
• Democratic Republic of Congo confirms two Ebola cases in resurgence of major outbreak (Reuters)
• Mexico approves China's CanSino and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines (Reuters)
• Semaglutide Brings Significant Weight Loss in Obese Patients (NYTimes) (Endpoints) (NEJM)
• Roche's tocilizumab cuts deaths in hospitalised COVID-19 patients (Reuters) (STAT)
• UK in talks with UAE to back life sciences fund (FT)
• NICE turns down bluebird bio’s gene therapy Zynteglo (PMLive)

• Vaccinated people need not quarantine post COVID-19 exposure, CDC says (Reuters)
• Health Workers and Hospitals Grapple With Millions of Counterfeit N95 Masks (KHN)
• Short On Special Syringes, Japan May Waste Millions Of Pfizer Vaccine Doses (NPR)
• South Africa may sell AstraZeneca shots as it switches to J&J vaccine to fight variant (Reuters)
• Kenya says it will move ahead with AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters)
• Zimbabwe purchases 600,000 Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccinations -information minister (Reuters)
• Pfizer to apply for COVID-19 vaccine registration in Ukraine (Reuters)
• Bolivia signs deal with China´s Sinopharm for coronavirus vaccine (Reuters)
• Morocco receives 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from India (Reuters)
• FDA greenlights Visby Medical's single-use, portable PCR test for COVID-19 (Fierce)

• Sana gets a competitor as Takeda, 5AM pour $170M into a Fred Hutch pioneer's quest to unseat CAR-T, ex-vivo gene therapy (Endpoints) (BioPharmaDive)
• Bristol Myers takes next big gamble on I/O frontier, pledging nearly $1.4B on Texas firm's tumor toxins (Endpoints)
• Novartis' Sandoz splurges on a trio of GSK antibiotics, doubling down with a $500M bet on a field struggling to combat resistant microbes (Endpoints)
• Gilead combines shared services into one North Carolina hub, aiming for 'cost and time zone advantages' (Fierce)
• US Prescribers Embrace Oncology Biosimilars; How Will Humira Follow-Ons Fare? (Scrip)
• Teva's Slow Recovery Proceeds With Flat Revenue Forecast In 2021 (Scrip)
• Pfizer Secures Early Patient Access In UK For Eczema Drug Abrocitinib (Pink Sheetd)
• Rentschler Biopharma to build cell and gene therapy manufacturing capabilities in the UK (PharmaTimes)
• NICE recommends treatments for pregnancy sickness in new draft guidance (Pharmafile)
• All in on ide-cel, Bristol Myers Squibb writes off $470M as second BCMA CAR-T is ejected from the pipeline (Endpoints)
• AC Immune has 'remarkable' Alzheimer's vaccine data. Just don't ask to see them (Endpoints)
• Dyno sketches tens of thousands of viable next-gen AAV capsids with the help of ML (Endpoints) (STAT)
• Versant spinout lands $80M to go 'much broader' than the old Roche partnership that birthed it (Endpoints)
• India's TCG launches new CDMO arm stateside to meet the call for 'American-made' pandemic drugs (Endpoints)
• SR One recruits an IPO vet and seasoned ops chief for the venture team. And they have some practical advice for you (Endpoints)

• GOP Senator Wants Time Frame And Other Details On FDA’s AI/ML Action Plan (MedtechInsight)
• Opinion: It’s time to fast track innovation in medical devices for children (STAT)
• LabCorp warns COVID-19 testing sales could plummet as crisis abates (MedtechDive)
• UK regulators publish new details on streamlined medical device clinical study review program (Emergo)
• SetPoint Launches IDE Trial Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation To Treat Arthritis (MedtechInsight)
• Class I Recall For Smiths Medical’s Medfusion Syringe Pumps (MedtechInsight)

• Generic ‘Skinny Labels’ Get Reprieve As Court Agrees To Rehear Teva/GSK Case (Pink Sheet)
• J&J Seeks To Block Alcon's Eye Surgery Laser Product (Law360)
• Medtronic Skirted Spine Device FDA Review, 9th Circ. Told (Law360)
• Teva 'Not Optimistic' About Sealing $23B Opioid Deal Soon (Law360)