Vaccines

China gets more complicated as multinational drug makers venture deep into it. Even with a local savvy business partner, Merck is learning to navigate through fast-shifting market dynamics amid policy changes, consumer perceptions of foreign brands, and competition from local firms as it takes stock of its market access, pricing and life cycle management strategies.

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss experts’ experience helping drug sponsors negotiate prices with CMS and the FDA’s proposal for a new pathway to update vaccines before a pandemic is declared.

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee endorsed a new plan to update pandemic influenza vaccines “inter-pandemic,” but encouraged the agency to consider how to make the approach feasible for novel vaccine technologies.  

Arexvy has become the first RSV vaccine to show it can provide protection over three years – but that might mean lower market uptake than originally expected.

Public-private partnerships can help industry better understand neglected diseases and develop potential treatments.

The threat of a highly pathogenic avian influenza pandemic spurred the FDA to have its vaccine advisory committee comment on a new process to update licensed prototype pandemic flu vaccines.

Deal Snapshot: Merck likes the look of Evaxion's artificial intelligence-based technology platform to develop immunotherapies and signed a biobucks deal that will help ease the Copenhagen-headquartered biotech's financial situation.

The FDA approved MedImmune’s FluMist for home use to prevent flu caused by virus subtypes A and B in individuals age 2 through 49 years old.

GSK’s India chief talks to Scrip about new category creation in adult immunization with Shingrix seeing strong uptake, Nucala and Trelegy’s trajectory and oncology assets set for debut as the company steps into its 100th year of operation in the country. GSK expects to continue to transform its operating model as things evolve, he indicates in the concluding part of this interview.

The World Health Organization has also prequalified the Bavarian Nordic vaccine to enable broader and timely access.