Recon: Pfizer to pursue COVID-19 booster, shot for Delta; Philip Morris strikes £1B deal for Vectura

• Citing Delta variant, Pfizer will pursue booster and a new vaccine (NYTimes) (STAT) (Reuters)
• Fully vaccinated people don't need Covid boosters, US health agencies say (NBC)
• Calls mount on FDA to formally endorse Covid vaccines as Delta surges (Politico)
• FDA’s expansive Alzheimer’s drug approval surprised even top agency officials (STAT)
• 15 more US states reach settlement in OxyContin maker Purdue bankruptcy (Reuters) (FT) (NPR)
• St. Jude Medical to pay $27M to settle allegations over heart devices (Reuters) (DoJ)
• In a sweeping executive order, Biden endorses importing drugs from Canada and orders a bigger drug pricing plan by late August (STAT) (The Hill)
• Pelosi threatens to slide drug pricing reform into Biden's budget bill (Endpoints)
• Drugmakers’ Spending on Stock, Dividends and Executive Pay Exceeds Research, Democrats Say (KHN) (STAT)

• Question open on need for COVID booster shot, data awaited, WHO says (Reuters)
• IMF board approves $650B aimed at struggling countries to pay for medical care, vaccines (The Hill)
• Philip Morris International makes £1bn offer for UK pharma firm Vectura (The Guardian) (FT)
• Britain bets on biotech as billions set to boost life sciences sector (Fierce)
• New Fujifilm CEO focuses on drug ingredients unit after Avigan stumbles (Reuters)
• EMA finds no evidence linking viral vector in Zynteglo to blood cancer (EMA)

• Public Health England says Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccines effective in high-risk groups (Reuters)
• EU finds potential link between mild heart inflammation and mRNA COVID shots (Reuters) (EMA)
• EMA advises against use of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen in people with history of capillary leak syndrome (EMA)
• How effective are coronavirus vaccines against the Delta variant? (FT)
• A new study finds genetic variations in Covid patients that could point to better drug treatments. (NYTimes)
• U.K. regulator accepts Humanigen's COVID drug for speedy review, as analysts spell out reasons to be hopeful for FDA nod (Fierce)
• Moroccan government drops $500M into new Recipharm fill-finish plant in big boost for African manufacturing (Endpoints)
• Livzon's COVID-19 vaccine appears safe, triggers antibodies (Reuters)
• Vietnam licenses firm to import 5 mln doses of Sinopharm vaccine (Reuters)
• N.Korea rejected AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine over side effects, says think-tank (Reuters)
• 1,600 Vaccine Doses Ruined at Chugai Due to Flawed Temperature Control (PharmaJapan)
• Gap between Sputnik V COVID-19 shots can be up to 180 days - Russia's RDIF (Reuters)
• Procurement hurdles could delay launch of Johnson and Johnson’s shot in India (Economic Times)
• India's Hetero seeks emergency use nod for Merck's COVID-19 drug (Reuters)
• Cuba says second COVID-19 vaccine Soberana 2 boasts 91.2% efficacy (Reuters)
• Argentina announces COVID-19 vaccine supply deal with Moderna (Reuters)

• FDA extends shelf life for glaucoma drug discontinued by Pfizer, but patients remain concerned (STAT)
• GlaxoSmithKline to close Memphis consumer health plant, putting 150 jobs on the chopping block (Fierce)
• With plans for a massive plant in China, small Chicago biotech Sparx could be the talk of the town in Yangzhou (Fierce)
• NICE rejects gene therapy for children with neurodegenerative disorder (Pharmafile)
• SPAC downpour continues (LifeSciVC)
• AbbVie, Biogen and Pfizer collaboration creates new resource for genetic exome sequence analysis (PMLive)
• Gene therapy for sickle cell disease: progress and competition (BioPharmaDive)
• Biohaven beats expectations with fast sales of migraine drug (BioPharmaDive)
• Ovid shuffles C-suite, lays off staff in wake of PhIII Angelman syndrome fail (Endpoints)
• Agenus to move California operations to new biomanufacturing cluster in Vacaville (Endpoints)
• Muna raises $73M to go after Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and MS (Fierce)
• With LentiGlobin cleared by FDA, bluebird lifts EU marketing hold on gene therapy using the same delivery mechanism (Endpoints)
• Often-passed plant in Colorado has a new owner, who's already operating nearby (Endpoints)

• IVD Regulation 'Correction' Published In EU Official Journal (MedtechInsight)
• Alpha Tau hops aboard the SPAC train with $367M deal to take its tumor-blasting tech public (Fierce)
• Natural Cycles snags FDA clearance to use wearable temperature data in its fertility algorithm (mobihealthnews)
• Potential Biocompatibility Concerns with NuVasive Specialized Orthopedics’ Precice Devices – Letter to Health Care Providers (FDA)

• EU Parliament Wants Two-Tier Database To Monitor Drug Supplies (Pink Sheet)
• Stryker inks $15M settlement to resolve Conformis patent dispute (MedtechDive)
• A VALID Argument: Proposed Legislation Would Reshape Regulation of Diagnostics (FDA Law Blog)
• Fed. Circ. Appears Split On Novartis' MS Drug Patent (Law360)
• Judge Blasts J&J Unit For 'Tactical' Silence In Drug IP Fight (Law360)
• IP Forecast: Daiichi Sankyo Unit Takes Drug Rival To A Jury (Law360)
• Avanos Medical Inc. to Pay $22 Million to Resolve Criminal Charges Related to the Fraudulent Misbranding of Its Microcool Surgical Gowns (FDA)