Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, courtesy of sunny skies and mild breezes hovering over the Pharmalot campus. Moreover, the short person is quietly hunched over a laptop and the official mascot has left for a much-needed constitutional. This makes it possible for us to tend to the matters at hand. We will, however, take a brief detour today to chat about drug pricing with former Gilead Sciences chief operating officer Jim Meyers at 1 p.m. ET, and STAT+ subscribers are invited to tune in. Meanwhile, here are a few tidbits. Hope your day goes well and you remain safe. Remember, wear a mask. …
The European Commission is likely to give final authorization for the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines days after the European Medicines Agency issues approvals, Reuters tells us. The EMA plans to decide on whether to approve the vaccine being developed by Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) by Dec. 29, and the shot being developed by Moderna (MRNA) by Jan. 12. Under EU rules, EMA recommends the authorization of a drug or vaccine and the EU Commission authorizes them on the basis of EMA scientific advice.
The Department of Homeland Security is working with dozens of drug companies racing to finalize and distribute Covid-19 vaccines and treatments to prepare for the scams that are coming, especially after the mess of criminal activity this year with phony personal protective equipment, false cures, and extortion schemes, the Associated Press explains. Agency investigators are learning how vaccines will be packaged and creating a mass database of information from more than 200 companies, so they can spot fakes and crack down on fraud.
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