Moderna said its updated COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the BA.2.86 subvariant of the virus, boosting antibodies 8.7-fold in recent data. “We think this is news people will want to hear as they prepare to go out and get their fall boosters,” Moderna head of infectious diseases Jacqueline Miller told Reuters. (Reuters)
After its prostate cancer drug Xtandi was left out of the Medicare negotiating program’s first 10 drugs list, Astellas withdrew its lawsuit against the Biden administration over the new power. Despite withdrawing its lawsuit, however, the company noted that it still believes the negotiating program is “bad policy and unconstitutional.” (STAT News)
Johnson & Johnson announced its combination drug helped increase the duration of no progress in a type of non small-cell lung cancer in patients. J&J’s therapy was tested in patients in whom the disease progressed even after they were treated with AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso. (Seeking Alpha)
Kriya Therapeutics acquired gene therapy startup Tramontane Therapeutics along with its lead program, an adeno associated virus-based gene therapy. Kriya, which was co-founded by Vivek Ramaswamy’s brother Shankar, did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition. (Endpoints News)
Despite facing economic headwinds recently, the life science industry is seeing a boom in Massachusetts, according to a recent industry report. Massachusetts’ life sciences sector saw more growth than most states last year – a 6.3% increase in its bio-manufacturing workforce, MassBio found. (Axios)
