Biotech Voices is a collection of exclusive opinion editorials from some of the leading voices in biopharma on the biggest industry questions today. Think you have a voice that should be heard? Reach out to Amber Tong.

Sev­er­al biotech col­leagues and I were in­spired by the Neu­ro­science Lab at Cold Spring Har­bor’s clever and strik­ing pro-im­mi­gra­tion GIF an­i­ma­tion. We thought a sim­i­lar pho­to wall on be­half of the biotech/life sci­ences com­mu­ni­ty would be a grip­ping state­ment that’s hard to look away. Here’s a su­per start.

Want to add your com­pa­ny to this col­lec­tion? Use the icon next to my by­line to send an email.

Akcea

Al­ny­lam

Deci­bel

De­nali

Geno­cea

Mor­phic

NGM Bio

Ovid

Pax­Vax

Schro­ding­er

Xen­cor

Praveen Tipir­neni is the CEO of Mor­phic Ther­a­peu­tic. Biotech Voic­es is a con­tributed col­umn writ­ten by se­lect End­points News sub­scribers.

Early last year, Eli Lilly announced that instead of taking its blockbuster contender mirikizumab forward to the FDA for psoriasis, it would be essentially going nowhere in the indication. Instead, the pharma then announced in its Q1 ’21 earnings statement that it would be focusing on ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease indications in a sudden about-face.

And as the drug is before the FDA for potential approval for the first indication of ulcerative colitis, the megapharma is now ready to reveal more data to bolster its case.

Pfizer has agreed to pay $290,000 to settle allegations of questionable copay coupon practices in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, and Vermont from 2014 to 2018.

While the company has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, Pfizer has agreed to issue restitution checks to about 5,000 consumers.

A Pfizer spokesperson said the company has “enhanced its co-pay coupons to alleviate the concerns raised by states and agreed to a $30,000 payment to each.”

A judge in Delaware has ruled against Astellas Pharma and Gilead in a long-running patent case over Pfizer-onwed Hospira’s generic version of Lexiscan.

The case kicked off in 2018, after Hospira submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for approval to market a generic version of Gilead’s Lexiscan. The drug is used in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), a type of nuclear stress test.

The area of Ireland famous for Blarney Castle and its cliffsides along the Atlantic Ocean is seeing Merck KGaA expand its commitment there.

The German drug manufacturer is expanding its membrane and filtration manufacturing capabilities in Ireland. The company will invest approximately €440 million ($470 million) to increase membrane manufacturing capacity in Carrigtwohill, Ireland, and build a new manufacturing facility at Blarney Business Park, in County Cork, Ireland.

Twenty House Democrats, including Reps. Katie Porter of California and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, are calling on Senate leaders to move quickly with a reconciliation bill (meaning they only need a simple majority for passage) with prescription drug pricing reforms, and to include adding new authority for Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

They also called on the Senate to specifically follow suit with the House passage of a $35 per month insulin cap (as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s deadline for a vote on that provision has come and gone), and to cap Medicare Part D costs at $2,000 per year for seniors.