| | | |   | Meghana here. We've got a litigious Readout for you today, with Illumina suing Guardant, and Alnylam suing both Moderna and Pfizer, all with claims of lifting trade secrets. Have a happy Friday, and take a listen to Readout LOUD! | | | Illumina suing Guardant over liquid biopsy trade secrets Illumina is suing rival liquid biopsy player Guardant Health, claiming that the latter’s patents are based on work stolen from the genomics giant. Illumina claims that Guardant’s cofounders, who are former Illumina employees, carried away tens of thousands of documents while forming the new company. Illumina wants to be listed on Guardant’s key patents, and wants royalties, payment for lost profits, and other forms of compensation. Guardant, meanwhile, says that Illumina’s claims are meritless — and says the sequencing powerhouse is just trying to shut down Guardant’s concerns over its controversial reabsorption of liquid biopsy developer Grail. Read more. | Alnylam suing Moderna, Pfizer over Covid-19 vaccine tech Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has filed lawsuits against Pfizer and Moderna, claiming that the companies infringed on its patents while developing Covid-19 vaccines. The lawsuits claim that the vaccine makers used Alnylam’s lipid nanoparticle technology, which delivers RNA-based therapies or vaccines throughout the body. Notably, one lawsuit implies that Moderna may have used trade secrets it learned about during confidential talks in 2014 over possibly licensing Alnylam’s lipid nanoparticle technology.
Alnylam isn’t the only company filing suit over Covid-19 vaccine technology: Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences also have lawsuits that claim Moderna lifted their intellectual property as well. Read more. | 2022 STATUS List: The most definitive and consequential accounting of leaders in health, medicine, and science Meet the STATUS List — 46 individuals shaping the future of their fields. Drawn from sectors including biotechnology and diagnostics, as well as broader arenas like education and policy, each individual has taken extra steps to help others and build community in these often-divisive times. Explore the list. | Congress split over accelerated approval Congress is debating the future of the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway, and the controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm is the main point of contention. A hearing yesterday meant to address a variety of health policy measures ended up focusing on whether regulators ought to approve drugs without clear evidence that they extend patient lives. Republicans favor a bill that makes accelerated approval easier. But a Democrat-backed piece of legislation would allow the FDA to sanction companies that don’t quickly provide confirmatory studies of a drug’s benefit after an accelerated approval. Interestingly, the Aduhelm example was used by both sides to promote their bills. Read more. | How should pharma treat Russia? Why can’t Congress pass a drug pricing bill? And what does wastewater portend for the pandemic? We cover all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, we discuss the drug industry’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and STAT reporter Isabella Cueto joins us to explain how the war has affected the quietly vibrant Ukrainian biotech industry. Then, STAT Washington correspondent Nicholas Florko calls in to review Congress’ years of failure to pass laws on drug pricing and examine whether bipartisan support can ever result in actual legislation. We also run through the latest news in the life sciences, including Ashish Jha’s new job, global Covid-19 surges, and a long-delayed manuscript from Biogen. Listen here. | More reads - Ashish Jha to replace Jeff Zients as White House Covid response coordinator. (STAT)
- Medicare premiums could decrease ‘soon,’ after decision on Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. (STAT)
- After a dry spell for cancer immunotherapy, a new target offers a beacon of hope. (STAT)
| Thanks for reading! Until next week,  | | | |
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