GSK is muscling its way into the cancer big leagues, months after agreeing to shell out $5 billion for cancer drugmaker Tesaro. On Tuesday, the British drugmaker said it would co-develop a fusion protein immunotherapy — designed to offer fresh ways to fight difficult-to-treat cancers beyond the existing PD-1/PD-L1 class — with Germany’s Merck KGaA in a deal valued up to about $4.2 billion.

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Even as public health officials remain guarded about their comments on the likelihood Omicron will escape the reach of the currently approved Covid-19 vaccines, there’s growing scientific consensus that we’re facing a variant that threatens to overwhelm the vaccine barricades that have been erected.

Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, one of the leading mRNA players whose quick vault into the markets with a highly effective vaccine created an instant multibillion-dollar market, added his voice to the rising chorus early Tuesday. According to Bancel, there will be a significant drop in efficacy when the average immune system is confronted by Omicron. The only question now is: How much?

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In another setback for Biogen, the big biotech lost its appeal to revive a patent for the once-blockbuster drug Tecfidera, marking a likely conclusion to the case.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued the ruling Tuesday morning, saying Biogen failed to satisfy the “written description” requirement for patent law. As a result, Mylan-turned-Viatris will be able to sell its multiple sclerosis generic without fear of infringement and Biogen will have to find a new revenue driver elsewhere.

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GlaxoSmithKline has appointed Philip Dormitzer, formerly chief scientific officer of Pfizer’s viral vaccines unit, as its newest global head of vaccines R&D, looking to leverage one of the leading minds behind Pfizer and BioNTech’s RNA collaboration that led to Covid-19 jab Comirnaty, the British drug giant said Tuesday.

Dormitzer had been with Pfizer for a little more than six years, joining up after a seven-year stint with Novartis, where he reached the role of US head of research and head of global virology for the company’s vaccines and diagnostics unit.

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When Mylan and Pfizer’s Upjohn unit merged last year, headlines touted the $12 billion deal and newly named Viatris as the largest generic drugmaker in the world. But that’s not exactly how the company wanted to be known.

So Viatris — which rhymes with Beatrice — began working to create a new brand and culture from scratch around its distinct mix of old pharma blockbusters while layering in a massive portfolio of generic and OTC meds and building up a fresh pipeline of biosimilars.

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Jeff Dachis knows how to pick a business wave — although it may be more accurate to say he knows how to create them. The founder and CEO of digital health platform One Drop is working to transform the industry with predictive analytics and sophisticated tools. Alongside partner Bayer, which has now invested enough to own a third of the company, Dachis and One Drop are advancing data-driven personalized self-care for chronic disease management.

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