And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. We are still setting our agenda, but for the moment, we expect to promenade with our official mascot, have another listening party with Mrs. Pharmalot and attend the latest installment in our “Let’s-see-them-before-they-go” concert series. And what about you? This may be a splendid opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors — a hike in the woods may be in order or you could jump into your motor car for a drive in the country. You could compile your to-do list for one of the forthcoming holidays. Or perhaps, you could take the time to simply catch up on events and ruminate about the world, such as it is. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon …
Christopher Viehbacher, who will start as the new Biogen chief executive officer on Monday, knows that running the company may be one of the toughest jobs in the pharmaceutical industry. But he tells STAT that after years of working as an investor, and coaching and mentoring other executives, he missed being on the playing field himself. “I’m not the type of guy to go run something that is smoothly running. That’s not my thing,” he said, adding that, “It just, sort of, the mission spoke to me. And it looked like a company that has lost its way a little bit and I felt it was something I could help with and I could enjoy being part of a team.”
AstraZeneca dropped plans to submit its Covid-19 vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration for approval, ending a long-running ambition to eventually sell the shot in the U.S. despite initial setbacks, The Wall Street Journal says. The company said there would likely be a lack of demand in the U.S., where primary vaccination needs had been met and would continue to focus on ensuring availability elsewhere, including seeking its approval as a booster shot. Vaxzevria was one of the first Covid-19 vaccines and was quickly granted emergency approval in many countries, but hopes for a speedy approval in the U.S. stumbled after the regulator sought more data from the company.
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