Sanofi Expands mRNA Vaccine Efforts By Buying Translate Bio For $3.2B
Translate Bio was already Sanofi's partner in an effort to try to build an mRNA covid vaccine. Separately, reports say the Federal Trade Commission has reluctantly withdrawn a remaining claim in a lawsuit over a so-called pay-to-delay deal with Abbvie.
Stat:
Sanofi Pays $3B To Purchase Translate, Raising Stakes Around MRNA
Major drug makers are getting into mRNA, the technology behind the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccines, in a big way. Sanofi, one of the largest vaccine makers, announced Tuesday it will spend $3.2 billion to purchase Translate Bio, its partner in an effort to create an mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine. That follows a June announcement that Sanofi would create an mRNA vaccines center of excellence, funded with almost $500 million annually, with the goal of creating six experimental vaccine candidates by 2025. (Garde and Herper, 8/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Sanofi Snaps Up MRNA Specialist For $3.2 Billion Amid Vaccine Success
Sanofi agreed to pay $3.2 billion to acquire mRNA specialist Translate Bio, a big vote of confidence that the new technology underpinning two successful Covid-19 vaccines holds promise beyond the pandemic. The French healthcare company said the deal would accelerate work already under way with Translate Bio, based in Lexington, Mass., to develop mRNA vaccines for Covid-19, seasonal flu and other infectious diseases. It will also hand Sanofi a platform to pursue further drugs and vaccines using mRNA technology. (Roland, 8/3)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Stat:
FTC Pulls Pay-To-Delay Case Involving AbbVie After Losing Certain Authority
The Federal Trade Commission has reluctantly withdrawn a remaining claim in a lawsuit over a so-called pay-to-delay deal after the U.S. Supreme Court determined the agency does not have authority to force companies to relinquish ill-gotten profits. And the development indicates that it may now be harder for the FTC to successfully bring antitrust cases against drug makers that reach these sorts of deals. (Silverman, 8/2)
Stat:
Even As It Breaks Biotech’s Unwritten Rules, Amylyx Is Raising Big Money
If you want to raise big money in biotech, there are a few unwritten rules. You need a partnership with an established pharmaceutical company. You need an idea that gives you more than one shot at finding something that works. And you need seasoned executives or serial entrepreneurs at the helm. Amylyx Pharmaceuticals is breaking every single one of those industry edicts — yet it still managed to bring in a $135 million Series C last month. (Sheridan, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Drug Utilization Management Drains $93 Billion A Year, Study Shows
Insurance companies often restrict University of Utah Health physicians from prescribing the optimal drug for a patient's illness. Providers are left to choose between the second or third choice after insurers initially deny coverage, in part, to steer doctors and patients toward lower-cost options. In some cases, patients have to go through months of ineffective treatment to merit a more expensive drug, said Erin Fox, senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health, which has an entire pharmacy technician team devoted to prior authorizations. (Kacik, 8/2)
In updates on Alzheimer's —
Stat:
Alzheimer's Scientists Critique Cassava Sciences' Study Results
Independent researchers are expressing doubts about the purported benefits of an experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s from Cassava Sciences. The company said Thursday that a preliminary analysis of a small clinical trial showed its drug, called simufilam, improved the cognition of patients with Alzheimer’s disease — a benefit that no other treatment for Alzheimer’s has ever shown. Asked by STAT to examine the simufilam data, Alzheimer’ scientists not involved in Cassava’s study said the cognitive benefit claim was exaggerated and not supported by the design of the clinical trial. (Feuerstein, 7/30)
Boston Globe:
Retired Neurologist With Alzheimer’s Knows Firsthand The Risks Of Aduhelm
Daniel Gibbs had received only four monthly doses of Biogen’s experimental Alzheimer’s drug in a clinical trial in 2017 when he ended up in an intensive care unit. He had an excruciating headache, and his blood pressure was so high that doctors thought he might be having a stroke. It turned out that the retired Portland, Ore., neurologist ― who had treated Alzheimer’s patients before he was diagnosed with the disease himself in 2015 ― was experiencing some of the worst reported side effects of the drug. (Saltzman, 8/1)
