Recon: Vir, Alnylam plan clinical trials for COVID-19 RNAi drug; EU pledges €1B for coronavirus vaccine development

• Trump contradicts top health officials with vaccine timeline, malaria drug claims (Politico)
• Trump now says he hopes US coronavirus deaths less than 100,000 (Reuters)
• Vir, Alnylam plan human trials by year-end for potential COVID-19 therapy (Reuters) (Endpoints)
• US steers clear as global COVID-19 pledging conference begins (Reuters)
• Health officials eyeing at least one of 14 potential coronavirus vaccines to fast-track (NBC)
• Gilead Lobbying Rose As Interest In COVID-19 Treatment Climbed (NPR)
• Roche wins US nod for COVID-19 antibody test, aims to boost output (Reuters) (CNBC)
• Former FDA commissioner warns of new fall epidemic amid 'persistent spread' (Politico)
• DHS report accuses China of hiding coronavirus info so it could hoard supplies (Politico)

• Profits and Pride at Stake, the Race for a Vaccine Intensifies (NYTimes)
• UN calls for COVID vaccine, treatment available for all (Reuters)
• Cost of vaccinating billions against Covid-19 put at more than $20bn (Financial Times)
• China’s Coronavirus Vaccine Drive Empowers a Troubled Industry (NYTimes) (Financial Times)
• EU warns against suspension of children vaccination amid coronavirus crisis (Reuters)
• EU to provide one billion euros for global vaccine search: Von der Leyen (Reuters)
• European Investment Bank joins WHO in pandemic help for Africa (Reuters)
• The Coronavirus Still Is a Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Warns (NYTimes) (Reuters)
• Turkey eases export rules for medical devices used for virus (AP)
• Canada giving AbCellera Biologics C$176 million for coronavirus research (Reuters)
• Japan aims to fast-track review of anti-viral drug remdesivir (Reuters) (PharmaJapan)
• Eli Lilly And Junshi Biosciences To Co-Develop Therapeutic Antibodies For Treatment Of Covid-19 (Reuters) (Press)

• Blood-Pressure Drugs Don’t Increase Coronavirus Risk (WSJ) (NYTimes)
• The Covid-19 Riddle: Why Does the Virus Wallop Some Places and Spare Others? (NYTimes)
• Coronavirus gets a promising drug. MAGA world isn’t buying it. (Politico)
• Amgen adds Otezla to the COVID-19 candidate list (PMLive)
• Lawmakers ask HHS to ensure Gilead’s remdesivir is affordable if US taxpayers funded R&D (STAT)
• With the pricing ball in Gilead’s court, ICER offers some parameters on how it can be played — analyst sees at least '$1B in theory' (Endpoints)
• German study suggests infections are 10 times the number of confirmed cases (Reuters)
• New Zealand reports no new coronavirus cases for first time since mid-March (Reuters)
• Britain to trial new coronavirus tracing system (Reuters)
• Coronavirus Sweeps Across Brazil, a Land Ill-Equipped to Fight It (WSJ)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup May 1, 2020 (FDA)

• Why Are Clinical Trials So Complicated? (In The Pipeline)
• With coronavirus pandemic, venture capitalists are taking extra precautions (STAT)
• How Remdesivir, New Hope for Covid-19 Patients, Was Resurrected (NYTimes)
• How an unproven drug became a bellwether for global stocks (Financial Times)
• Belgian Body Welcomes Clawback Exemption For Generics/Biosimilars Amid Price Cuts (Pink Sheet)
• BioMarin broadens its gene therapy horizons with a new R&D alliance in rare cardio cases (Endpoints)
• Recent Study Examines the Influence of Institutional Incentives in Uptake of Biosimilars (Big Molecule Watch)
• Precision Medicine Evidence Gaps Could Be Filled With Real-World Data, Central Repository (Pink Sheet)
• Agios drops as COVID-19 takes a toll on drug studies (BioPharmaDive)
• Newron's Merck KGaA-in licensed compound fails Rett Syndrome study, shares wilt (Endpoints)
• DoP gives green signal to six manufacturers for export of 2,000 MT of paracetamol API (Pharmabiz)
• Without showing any data, CytoDyn touts treatment for Covid-19 as winner — while its CEO sells stock (STAT)
• New Darzalex formulation wins FDA approval; Israeli biotech plans $50M IPO (Endpoints) (FDA)
• Menarini bags Stemline and a rare disease drug in $677M buyout. But will a better offer follow? (Endpoints)

• Stryker sees 50% of revenue vulnerable to elective procedure pullback (MedtechDive)
• Coronavirus surge in critical care sales helps Hillrom beat Q2 guidance (MedtechDive)
• Cerus gains FDA approval for blood plasma kit (MassDevice)
• BioMerieux COVID testing product gets U.S. emergency use authorization (Reuters)
• Routine cancer screenings have plummeted during the pandemic, medical records data show (STAT)
• Some consumer wearables might accurately track sleep (Reuters)
• Takuo Aoyagi, an Inventor of the Pulse Oximeter, Dies at 84 (NYTimes)
• Classification of Posterior Cervical Screw Systems: Small Entity Compliance Guide (FDA)

• ‘It just had to do with luck’: Inside Biden’s struggle to contain the H1N1 virus (Politico)
• CMS rolls back more Medicare, telehealth regs for providers working through pandemic (HealthcareDive)
• Oklahoma AG Mike Hunter refiles lawsuits against 3 opioid distribution companies (The Oklahoman)
• Doctor Who Promoted Malarial Drug Draws Scrutiny of Federal Prosectors (NYTimes)
• Pharmacovigilance Inspection Program metrics report: Jan - Dec 2019 (TGA)
• Update to Manufacturing Principles for medicines, APIs & sunscreens (TGA)
• Former Naturopath Charged Criminally for Trafficking in Misbranded Drugs Claiming They Could Prevent COVID-19 (FDA)
• Daiichi Told Cancer Drug Patent Fight Must Be Arbitrated (Law360)
• Purdue Creditors Get OK For Sackler Bank Subpoenas (Law360)
• Preemption and Second-Guessing FDA Classifications (Drug & Device Law)
• Argentum Pharmaceuticals LLC v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Fed. Cir. 2020) (Patent Docs)