Good morning from San Diego. I’m Jonathan Wosen, STAT’s West Coast biotech reporter, and I’m picking up the baton from Drew as we continue to fill in for Ed this week. To kickstart my morning, I’ve poured myself a cup of some of the strongest stuff around — dihydrogen monoxide, 200 proof. Hope you remember your high school chemistry, and that you enjoy these newsy items as you start your Wednesday. …
An FDA advisory panel says it’s time for the agency to improve how it regulates pulse oximeters, STAT explains. Studies going back decades have shown that the devices, used to measure a person’s blood oxygen level and help determine the kind of medical care they receive, don’t work as well for darker-skinned people — but those findings were either ignored or dismissed. The advisory panel urged the FDA to more rigorously test these devices and to issue warning labels that acknowledge the issue.
Australian biotech CSL gets into mRNA after striking a deal with Arcturus Therapeutics, pharmaphorum tells us. CSL will pay the San Diego biotech $200 million upfront in a deal for access to its technology: so-called self-amplifying mRNA, which makes additional copies of itself once it has entered a cell. This latest deal comes during a busy year for CSL, one which includes the $11.7 billion acquisition of Swiss pharma firm Vifor and a number of smaller moves.
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