Industry news

• Want to bet on Big Pharma? M&A hunger, pricing pressure increase the risk, ratings agency says

  25 February 2021 Angus Liu / FiercePharma

  Big Pharma companies have been steadily dropping in the eyes of credit ratings agencies since 2014—and the downward spiral won’t likely end this year.

• FDA delivers new guidance for test makers on dealing with COVID-19's emerging strains

  25 February 2021 Conor Hale / FierceBiotech

  As the U.S. passes a grim milestone with at least 500,000 deaths caused by COVID-19, the FDA is preparing to manage an ongoing and future threat from the disease: new viral mutations that may hinder the effectiveness of tests, treatments and vaccines.

• Pandemic stress weighs on caregivers' well-being, Merck KGaA study finds

  24 February 2021 Sharon Klahr Coey / FiercePharma

  A new study from Merck KGaA finds a surge in unpaid caregivers who are struggling even more than usual. Twenty percent of informal caregivers are first-timers, but all of them are facing added physical, mental and financial burdens during the COVID-19 crisis.

• Pharma's reputation rehab: A whopping two-thirds of Americans now offer a thumbs-up, Harris Poll finds

  24 February 2021 Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharma

  Almost two-thirds of Americans now give the pharma industry a thumbs up. It’s a stunning reversal from just one year ago when only about one-third (32%) rated the industry positively, according to The Harris Poll surveys.

• AI-based voiceprint screener for COVID-19 nets European approval

  20 February 2021 Conor Hale / FierceBiotech

  From taste and smell to muscle aches and “COVID toes,” the coronavirus affects the body in a variety of ways—including small changes in a person’s voice, subtle to the ear but clear enough to spot on a computer, according to Vocalis Health.

• Pharma's reputation rehab: A whopping two-thirds of Americans now offer a thumbs-up, Harris Poll finds

  20 February 2021 Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharma

  Almost two-thirds of Americans now give the pharma industry a thumbs up. It’s a stunning reversal from just one year ago when only about one-third (32%) rated the industry positively, according to The Harris Poll surveys.

• FDA approves patient-specific, 3D-printed ankle bone implant

  19 February 2021 Conor Hale / FierceBiotech

  The FDA has approved its first 3D-printed metal implant designed to replace the main bone in the ankle joint connecting the leg to the foot. 

• Bring on the boosters: Studies show Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines are less potent against aggressive variant

  19 February 2021 Arlene Weintraub / FiercePharma

  In early January, researchers from the University of Texas and Pfizer published a preprint study suggesting that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine could protect against a mutation discovered in the U.K. and South Africa. Two weeks later, though, news emerged that Pfizer and its partner BioNTech were working on booster shots to protect against new variants.

• NEWS EMA initiates rolling review of CureVac’s CVnCoV COVID-19 vaccine

  19 February 2021 European Pharmaceutical Review

  The rolling review will assess CVnCoV’s efficacy and immunogenicity data as it becomes available, speeding the decision process for an eventual marketing authorisation application.

• Connecticut Launches Life Sciences Ecosystem Marketing Initiative

  18 February 2021 BioPharm International

  Connecticut Innovations has launched a campaign to highlight the growing companies, top talent, cutting-edge research, and quality of life in Connecticut’s life sciences ecosystem.