Recon: US CDC postpones February vaccine advisory meeting; AstraZeneca acquires FibroGen’s China unit

• How much weight loss is too much? Pharma is pushing the limit with new obesity drugs (STAT)
• Pharma lobbies Trump as 25% tariff on imports looms (Pharmaphorum)
• Dr. Oz plans to sell insurance, hospital, and pharma stocks, step down from supplement company if confirmed (STAT)
• FDA sets June date for Gilead's twice-yearly HIV PrEP (Pharmaphorum)
• Exclusive: FDA staffers told that 'woman,' 'disabled' among banned words; White House says it’s an error (Reuters)
• Meeting of key CDC vaccine advisory panel, under scrutiny by RFK Jr., is postponed (STAT) (Reuters)
• FTC retains stricter merger guidelines under Trump (MedTech Dive)

• South African scientists were testing a promising HIV vaccine. Then came Trump’s aid cuts (Reuters)
• NICE changes its mind on BMS' lymphoma cell therapy (Pharmaphorum)
• How Keymed steered the China-to-US NewCo model in biotech (Endpoints)
• Drug packaging manufacturers brace for impact as EU chemical ban looms (Endpoints)
• AstraZeneca buys FibroGen’s China unit for local control of anemia drug (Endpoints)
• Paris startup collects €27M in Series B to advance overactive bladder treatment (Endpoints)
• Canada purchases 500,000 doses of GSK's vaccine for bird flu (Reuters)
• Philips expects sales struggles in China to continue in 2025 (MedTech Dive)
• First Spanish Organization Designated Under The IVD Regulation Has Wide Remit (MedTech Insight)
• Time For EU To Become Full Member Of Global Single Audit Program (MedTech Insight)

• Why biotech’s future is threatened by zombies (STAT)
• Boehringer eyes third quarter FDA verdict for oral HER2 drug (Pharmaphorum)
• SMA treatment with Evrysdi 'could start prenatally' (Pharmaphorum)
• UCB's non-cannabis drug for severe epilepsy gets NHS okay (Pharmaphorum)
• In single case, spinal muscular atrophy drug given before birth spared baby of genetic disease symptoms (Endpoints)
• BridgeBio’s heart disease drug Attruby sails past prescription estimates (Endpoints)
• Charles River’s $1B revenue; Theratechnologies restarts HIV drug supply (Endpoints)

• Years after an Apple study, its tech has birthed an asthma management tool (STAT)
• Illumina to lay off about 100 people; Incyte’s new AI partnership (Endpoints)
• Baxter forecasts 2025 profit above estimates on medical device demand; shares rise (Reuters)
• Advamed CEO warns FDA job cuts put patients, industry at risk (MedTech Dive)
• Vicarious Surgical COO John Mazzola to retire (MedTech Dive)
• Device industry scrambles as FDA job cuts cause delays (MedTech Dive)
• Hologic Upgrades Aptima SARS-Cov-2 Assay Authorization To Full FDA Approval (MedTech Insight)

• The lasting human impact of Trump funding freeze: An 86-year-old’s ride to dialysis now feels tenuous (STAT)
• Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research (STAT)
• The health policy cult’s misplaced faith in government (STAT)
• Why UnitedHealth Group is offering 30,000 voluntary buyouts to its employees (Endpoints)
• New York sues vape distributors for fueling teen epidemic (Reuters)
• Law firm Venable hit with $10 mln lawsuit by ex-client in FDA fight (Reuters)