Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of online meetings, phone calls, and deadlines has predictably returned. To cope, we are firing up the coffee kettle and brewing cups of stimulation. Our choice today is roasted coconut, for those tracking this sort of thing. As always, you are invited to join us. Now, though, the time has come to get cracking. Here is the latest menu of tidbits to get you started on your journey, which we hope is productive and meaningful. Best of luck, and do stay in touch. …
Pfizer is in talks to acquire Seagen, the latest potential deal for a big drug company aimed at adding a promising class of targeted cancer therapies, according to The Wall Street Journal. Seagen was in advanced talks last year to be acquired by Merck, but the two sides failed to reach agreement. A deal would help Pfizer add to its lineup of cancer treatments a class of agents that have shown promise working with so-called immunotherapies against some of the most prevalent tumors. It could also help Pfizer offset $17 billion in sales that the company projects it could lose due to patent expirations by 2030.
Several leading advocacy groups are asking the U.S. Trade Representative not to sanction or pressure four countries — Brazil, Ukraine, South Africa, and India — if the governments grant requests from cystic fibrosis patients to sidestep or revoke patents on a pricey medicine, STAT reports. The move comes after the patients and their families last month took the unusual step of petitioning their governments due to ongoing frustration that they are unable to access a Vertex Pharmaceutical treatment. They cited both the high price of the medicine, known as Trikafta, and the patenting strategies pursued in different countries around the world by the company.
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