Recon: UK authorizes Merck's COVID-19 antiviral pill; EMA reviewing AstraZeneca boosters

• Moderna struggles with vaccine ramp-up, cuts 2021 sales view; shares drop (Reuters)
• ‘The beginning of a long journey’: A progress report on Big Retail’s ambitions in health care (STAT)
• CAR-T therapies from Bristol, Gilead superior to standard treatment in blood cancer, studies show (STAT)
• Drugmakers pushed aggressive diabetes therapy. Patients paid the price. (Reuters)
• Alphabet has a new drug discovery company building on DeepMind’s AI chops (STAT)
• Manchin doubles down as House puts paid leave in spending bill (The Hill)

• Britain approves Merck's COVID-19 pill in world first (Reuters) (NYTimes)
• EU regulator reviewing data on AstraZeneca COVID-19 booster shots (Reuters)
• Novartis cuts uneasy 20-year ties to Roche with $20.7 bln voting stake sale (Reuters) (FT)
• No decrease in effectiveness if COVID-19 jab and flu vaccine is taken together – WHO (Reuters)
• Medical glove company head accused of fraud in Thailand (The Hill)

• Biden COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private-sector workers to begin Jan. 4 (Reuters) (STAT)
• COVID cases break records across Europe as winter takes hold (Reuters)

• Older HPV vaccine cuts cervical cancer rate up to 87%, study finds (Reuters)
• Alzheimer’s conference preview: Aduhelm debate persists, while field grapples with new targets and directions (STAT)
• PhaseBio claims positive PhII in platelet inhibition reversal; Trial software firm rebrands after hack, merger (Endpoints)
• Can new drugs punch holes in cancer's protective barrier? For Parthenon Therapeutics, that's the $65M question (Endpoints)
• FDA+ roundup: FDA chief scientist departs to be deputy surgeon general; New transparency on oncology accelerated approvals (Endpoints)
• NICE recommends Namuscla for NHS to treat genetic disorder (PharmaTimes)
• ASH: Chasing AbbVie and J&J's Imbruvica, BeiGene's Brukinsa fleshes out competitive leukemia data again (Fierce)
• Bayer poaches Otsuka's chief medical officer Koenen to head up its clinical operations (Fierce)
• Sangamo's Fabry gene therapy clears early clinical test, firing starting gun on preparations for phase 3 (Fierce)
• US FDA’s New ‘Integrated’ Review Process Starts To Win Over Skeptics, But Industry Still Wants More Details (Pink Sheet)
• As generation gaps narrow from boomers down to Gen Z, pharma needs to reconsider media, researcher says (Endpoints)
• More than a year after trimming R&D unit, Ironwood adds a rare disease drug to the pipeline in hopeful step forward (Endpoints)
• PlateletBio announces $75.5M Series B to extend autoimmune cell therapy (Endpoints)
• Lonza enters the exosome therapy space with acquisition of still-new Codiak site (Endpoints)
• In wake of Covid-19 vaccine successes, Moderna scraps an mRNA-based antibody for chikungunya virus (Endpoints)
• Chimerix unrolls early win for glioma drug picked up earlier this year in acquisition (Endpoints)
• Bluebird bio completes split into two companies; BeiGene builds out Brukinsa data at ASH (Endpoints)
• Touting close ties to biotech incubators, Mission BioCapital grabs $275M to help launch startups (Endpoints)
• Antios Therapeutics' hep B candidate gets another round of applause from investors, closing out a $171M megaround (Endpoints)

• CMS finalizes plans for pay cuts for radiation oncology, other specialists (MedtechDive)
• FDA issues long-awaited draft software guidance in overhaul of 16-year-old policy (MedtechDive)
• Varian And Antigen Effects Propel Siemens Healthineers To New Heights In FY21 (MedtechInsight)