Concerns about the prospects of COVID vaccine maker Novavax sank its shares Wednesday. Novavax — whose COVID-19 vaccine is its only marketed product after 35 years in business — recently flagged significant uncertainty around its 2023 revenue, funding from the U.S. government, and pending arbitration with global vaccine alliance Gavi. (Reuters)
House Republicans have launched an investigation into the companies that manage drug benefits, dialing up the scrutiny of the middlemen who play an important role in how much medicines cost. The committee is especially interested in how PBMs affect drug costs overall and the prices patients pay at the pharmacy counter. (The Wall Street Journal)
Amarin announced that shareholders voted in line with what Alex Denner’s biopharma VC Sarissa Capital wanted, electing all seven of Sarissa’s nominees to Amarin’s board of directors. Chairman Per Wold-Olsen was also voted out, effective immediately. (Endpoints News)
‘Havana syndrome’ was not caused by energy weapons or foreign adversaries, a U.S. intelligence review found. After a years-long assessment, five U.S. intelligence agencies conclude it is ‘very unlikely’ an enemy wielding a secret weapon was behind the mysterious ailment. (The Washington Post)
Pfizer and BioNTech have filed for an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its updated COVID booster in kids. The Omicron-adapted vaccine is currently authorized by the U.S. health regulator as the third dose of the three-dose primary course of vaccination in the country for children in this age group. (Seeking Alpha)
