Arbutus Biopharma sued Pfizer and BioNTech in a New Jersey district court over claims that the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines infringe on Arbutus’ patents. The lawsuit, which seeks damages over the use of lipid nanoparticle delivery technology, comes after Arbutus also sued Moderna last year over its COVID-19 vaccine. (Reuters)
Biogen appointed Adam Keeney as its head of corporate development. Keeney will be tasked with “advancing the company’s strategy and pursuing external collaborations and other growth opportunities,” Biogen CEO Chris Viehbacher said. (Endpoints News)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that a drug-resistant strain of bacteria linked to eye drops could potentially spread from human-to-human in U.S. healthcare settings. The CDC has identified several deaths, as well as cases of blindness and infection, as being linked to the eyedrops. (The New York Times)
Pfizer said the Food and Drug Administration accepted sNDAs for BRAFTOVI plus MEKTOVI for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with a BRAF V600E mutation. A decision by the FDA on the SNDAs is expected in the fourth quarter. (Nasdaq)
The Biden administration unveiled a new framework to reach goals under the Cancer Moonshot, including aiming to decrease cancer mortality by 50% in the next 25 years. The recommendations include developing new cancer vaccines to prevent the disease as well as reducing tobacco exposure. (The Hill)
