Recon: US overhauls vaccine rollout plans; Novartis, BeiGene partner on tislelizumab

• HHS 'unleashed' in string of last-minute policies (Politico)
• In a last-minute, intra-agency scuffle, HHS overrules FDA pick for a key position (STAT) (Politico)
• Pfizer has produced more than 70 million COVID-19 vaccine doses: CEO (Reuters)
• US shifts to speed vaccinations; won’t hold back 2nd doses (AP) (Reuters) (Bloomberg)
• Democrats demand plan from Trump to fix ‘failed’ vaccine rollout (Politico)
• Biden to unveil vaccination plan this week (Politico)
• Biden team gets access to Warp Speed-related meetings (Politico)
• Governors’ red tape blamed as vaccine doses pile up (Politico)
• Moderna doesn’t expect Covid vaccine data for young children until 2022, CEO says (CNBC)
• Middlemen sue to block a signature Trump drug pricing proposal (STAT)
• Ex-FDA Chief Getting Biden Admin. Post, Opioid Atty Says (Law360)
• HHS Secretary Azar is mum on 25th Amendment discussions (Axios)

• EU wraps preliminary talks to buy 60 million Valneva COVID vaccines (Reuters)
• EU’s Covid vaccine chief defends procurement scheme (FT)
• Canada orders 20 million more doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine: PM (Reuters)
• Swiss drugs regulator approves Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters)
• EU watchdog to review AstraZenenca-Oxford vaccine this month (Reuters)
• Brazil researchers report more modest 50.4% efficacy for China's CoronaVac (Reuters)
• Pfizer could pitch its COVID-19 vaccine to Russian regulators: TASS (Reuters)
• Sanofi's standalone drug ingredients business to be called EUROAPI (Reuters)
• Sanofi, Israel's Biond Biologics to collaborate on new cancer drug (Reuters)
• GSK, Vir to test antibody for COVID-19 treatment (Reuters)
• Roche says updated data shows Tecentriq cocktail gives longer liver cancer survival (Reuters)
• BeiGene, Novartis partner to develop cancer drug tislelizumab (Reuters)
• Report: The Impact of Biosimilar Competition in Europe (EC)

• Bangladesh's Beximco could start private sales of AstraZeneca vaccine next month (Reuters)
• Abbott Labs rolls out its BinaxNOW rapid Covid-19 test to schools and workplaces nationwide (CNBC)
• Japan’s Chugai soars nearly 6% after UK says its drug reduces hospital time for Covid patients (CNBC)
• Thailand receives requests to register AstraZeneca, Sinovac vaccines (Reuters)
• Mexico to conclude Sputnik vaccine authorization process quickly (Reuters)
• Mexico could buy 24 million doses of Russia's Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters)
• India's Bharat Biotech to supply its COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil (Reuters)
• Malaysia's Pharmaniaga buys 14 million doses of China's Sinovac COVID vaccine (Reuters)
• Ukraine pharma group to supply 5 million doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in first-half (Reuters)

• Gilead’s remdesivir sales are surging, but investors aren’t impressed (STAT)
• EY Firepower Report: Biopharma M&A Poised to Rebound in 2021 (GEN)
• The prices of 7 drugs were hiked without proof of new benefits, costing the U.S. $1.2 billion in 2019 (STAT)
• After repeated FDA rejections, key investor writes down stake in former diabetes unicorn Intarcia Therapeutics (STAT)
• With durable monkey data, Verve selects its first CRISPR base editing treatment for human trials (STAT)
• Spark co-founder Kathy High joins a longtime collaborator at AskBio, helping steer Bayer's gene therapy push (Endpoints)
• After pandemic-related disruptions, will 2021 bring about a renewed spotlight on R&D? A CFO survey says yes (Endpoints)
• News briefing: AbbVie selects first target for Dragonfly partnership; Cognito nets BDD for Alzheimer's treatment device (Endpoints)
• Boehringer Ingelheim enlists a UK startup in a milestone-heavy quest for 'dark antigens' (Endpoints)
• Merck snags priority review for Prevnar 13 rival — just one month after Pfizer sent its follow-on to the FDA (Endpoints)
• Abzena plots 6th biologics plant as demand for mammalian cell-line production continues to grow (Endpoints)
• Looking to leapfrog antibodies and RNAi, Sekar Kathiresan says gene editing approach to cut PCSK9 looks durable (Endpoints)
• DHSC publishes ‘UK Rare Disease Framework’ (PharmaTimes)

• In medtech win, MDR-IVDR remote audits OK'd amid pandemic pressures (MedtechDive) (MedtechInsight)
• FDA clears Abbott's hand-held blood test for TBIs, concussions (Fierce)
• Medtech M&A to take off after pandemic slowed deals in 2020: EY (MedtechDive)
• JPM: Illumina inks multiple cancer diagnostic partnerships to complement upcoming Grail acquisition (Fierce)
• A Colonoscopy Alternative Comes Home (NYTimes)
• Boston Scientific Announces LOTUS Edge™ Aortic Valve System Voluntary Recall and Product Discontinuation (FDA)

• Commerce Department agency proposes eliminating ‘march-in rights’ as a tool to lower drug prices (STAT) (Law360)
• The Top 10 Non-COVID Legal Developments of 2020 (Pink Sheet)
• Humana Sues Teva Over Alleged Copay Fraud Scheme (Law360)
• Fed. Circ. Patent Decisions In 2020: An Empirical Review (Law360)
• GoodRx IPO Timed To Beat Amazon's Rival Launch, Suit Says (Law360)
• Mylan, Pfizer Fight Remote Testimony In EpiPen Trial (Law360)
• 3rd Circ. Revives Fresenius Generic Drug Suit (Law360)