Recon: UK launches trial of Grail blood test for 50 types of cancer; AbbVie hands Regenxbio $370M to develop gene therapy

• FDA vaccine regulators argue against Covid-19 vaccine boosters in new international review (STAT) (Endpoints) (NYTimes) (Politico)
• GOP Seethes at Biden Mandate, Even in States Requiring Other Vaccines (NYTimes)
• Surgeon general: New vaccine policies neither illegal nor unusual (Politico)
• Novavax expects to make available at least 2 bln COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2022 (Reuters)
• Biden vaccine mandate will test US workplace regulator OSHA (Reuters)
• FDA head Janet Woodcock raises patent-related concerns to PTO director (Endpoints) (Pink Sheet)
• Centrist House Democrats Offer Rival Proposal on Cutting Prescription Drug Prices (WSJ)
• Teva must face government's kickback claims over Copaxone – judge (Reuters)
• Regenxbio to receive $370 mln upfront in gene therapy deal with AbbVie (Reuters)
• Cancer drug indications remain on labels even after trials fail to confirm their benefits (STAT)

• Roche’s Controlling Family Rules Out Mega-Merger for Drugmaker (Bloomberg)
• UK to offer Covid vaccines to 12 to 15-year-olds (FT)
• Britain begins world's largest trial of blood test for 50 types of cancer (Reuters)
• S.Africa's regulator approves Pfizer COVID-19 shot for children 12 and up (Reuters)
• Everest to bring Canadian biotech's potential COVID shots to China, other markets (Reuters)
• Valneva slumps as UK dumps €1.4bn order for COVID-19 jab (PharmaPhorum)

• Biden to announce new COVID-19 steps ahead of U.N. meeting, surgeon general says (Reuters)
• Australia buys additional 1 mln doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters)
• Seriously ill COVID-19 patients double in vaccine pace-setter Singapore (Reuters)

• A vaccine veteran steps away from the NIH, looking out toward the world (STAT)
• Phony Diagnoses Hide High Rates of Drugging at Nursing Homes (NYTimes)
  Biogen trials for Alzheimer’s drug excluded much of the targeted patient pool, study finds (STAT)
• FDA Continues Collaboration with Drug Compounders as Second Anniversary of Compounding Quality Center of Excellence Approaches (FDA)
• Sanofi places new $1.9B bet even as its last sours; Sam Waksal's new biotech ideas; Cell therapy time for Roche; and more (Endpoints)
• Exscientia tees up an IPO for its AI drug discovery platform, likely not willing to settle for just $100M (Endpoints)
• AbbVie dives deeper into eye care, paying $370M cash — with a $1.4B sweetener — to partner on VEGF gene therapy (Endpoints)
• On heels of one expansion, J&J will pour $176M into another boost for its manufacturing site in Ireland (Fierce)
• After a decade at Facebook and Google, a tech exec tries his hand at drug development (STAT)
• Biotech's 'founding father' and influential deal broker Fred Frank dies at 89 (Endpoints)
• Bristol Myers rolls out 3-year data mesothelioma data for Opdivo/Yervoy in first look at ESMO slate (Endpoints)
• Trans-Pacific power player Everest jumps on mRNA vaccine deal with Providence, paying $100M upfront to tap platform play (Endpoints)
• Provention will wait for FDA to 'opine' on new data after teplizumab rejection, eyes Q4 for further talks (Fierce)
• Bellus says its Merck cough rival passed a PhIIb test after earlier flop, but investors can't make up their minds (Endpoints)

• FDA slaps most serious classification on recall of potentially contaminated ultrasound gels (Fierce)
• US Regulation Of Fat Transfer Devices Shifts To FDA Biologics Center (MedtechInsight)
• Abbott, Quest, Quidel likely to benefit from Biden's COVID-19 testing push (MedtechDive)