A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended a Moderna booster shot for older and vulnerable Americans. The recommendation follows a similar nod for Pfizer’s booster shot last month. (CNBC Weekly)
President Biden is considering nominating Robert Califf as permanent FDA commissioner. Califf, who currently heads up clinical policy and strategy at Google’s Verily, previously served as FDA commissioner under President Obama. (Politico)
Novartis has hired Shiva Malek to lead its oncology department. Malek has worked at Genentech since 2006, most recently serving as director of discovery oncology. (Endpoints News)
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has unveiled a $2 billion plan to improve equity and diversity in science. The initiative will help fund underrepresented researchers, students and faculty scientists. (STAT)
President Biden is touting the effectiveness of mandates in boosting vaccination rates in recent months. But he also noted the push needs to continue to reach the remaining 66 million unvaccinated Americans who are eligible for the shot. (Reuters)
