The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, has pledged up to $90 million to BioNTech’s messenger RNA vaccine candidates for mpox. This research could help advance the scientific understanding of the application of mRNA technology to Orthopoxviruses, which includes mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.

The FDA said the updated messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will protect against the omicron subvariants now prevalent in circulation. Left out of the FDA decision is Novavax, whose protein-based vaccine is still under regulatory review.

There are three key areas of the healthcare sector where generative AI is booming the most — in terms of both venture capital funding and the development of innovative technology — according to Anjalika Komatireddy, an analyst at CB Insights. During a recent webinar, she discussed the generative AI activity occurring in these three areas: care delivery and navigation, digital therapeutics and drug discovery.

BioNTech and OncoC4 reported Phase 1/2 data in non-small cell lung cancer for an immunotherapy called gotistobart. Earlier this year, the German company inked a deal to share in the development of the drug in various types of solid tumors.

Eisai gains an option to license a Bliss Biopharmaceutical drug that targets HER2, a cancer protein that has become a hot target for addressing several types of solid tumors. BlissBio could receive up to $2 billion in milestones and other payments.

The FDA will decide this summer which strains the next Covid-19 vaccines should address. But companies are also taking a longer view, developing shots for the future that offer different features than the current ones and potentially broader protection against a wider range of pathogens.

Older adults and immunocompromised people may now get a second Covid-19 booster shot, according to amendments to the FDA authorizations of the mRNA vaccines. Further changes will be discussed at an advisory committee meeting planned for June.

BioNTech’s alliance with DualityBio gives it two antibody drug conjugate (ADC) candidates, the most advanced of which is in mid-stage clinical development for solid tumors. It addresses the same target as a potential blockbuster AstraZeneca drug.

BioNTech is expanding its cancer immunotherapy scope by partnering with OncoC4 on clinical testing of its lead drug. The antibody was designed to offer a safety edge over other CTLA-4-blocking drugs it’s on track for a Phase 3 test in non-small cell lung cancer.

In a media briefing during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Paul Hudson said unlike Sanofi, large pharma companies with top-selling drugs have a portfolio akin to a leaky bathtub because in a few years, they will have to replace much of that revenue as drug patents expire.

BioNTech says its InstaDeep acquisition will help it expand its use of artificial intelligence in drug discovery and development. The startup specializes in a type of machine learning called reinforcement learning.

Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine is now authorized as a booster shot for adults. The regulatory decision, which comes three months after the shot was first granted FDA emergency authorization, introduces a booster shot alternative to messenger RNA vaccines.

The FDA has authorized mRNA Covid-19 booster shots designed to protect against the original strain of the novel coronavirus, as well as the two omicron subvariants that are currently driving U.S. caseloads. An advisory committee to the CDC is scheduled to discuss these vaccines and vote on their recommended use on Thursday.

Moderna is suing Pfizer and BioNTech, claiming they copied its messenger RNA work in developing their Covid-19 vaccine. The company notes that its patented work in respiratory infectious disease began years before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the biotech was pursuing an mRNA vaccine for a different coronavirus.

Pfizer and BioNTech have completed their filing seeking FDA emergency use authorization of their omicron-adapted Covid-19 booster shot. Production of this bivalent vaccine has already begun, enabling the companies to begin distribution as soon as the FDA authorizes the shot.

The U.S. government has signed a supply agreement securing 66 million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, which are designed to address the omicron subvariants driving new cases of infection. The agreement follows a similar supply agreement reached with Pfizer and BioNTech.

The FDA has granted the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 full approval for use in adolescents. In other Covid-19 news, pharmacists were granted additional prescribing powers for an antiviral and Novavax’s European marketing authorization has been expanded to an additional age group.

Kernal Biologics has technology that enables the delivery of messenger RNA therapies to a wider range of destinations in the body. The Series A financing comes as the startup works to advance its lead immuno-oncology program toward its first clinical test.

Because the virus keeps mutating and will be around for a long time, the market for Pfizer’s products won’t go away. In wealthier countries, the public is likely to keep coming back for more, like diners at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, sated but never entirely satisfied.

Messenger RNA vaccine biotech CureVac is suing BioNTech, alleging that its rival’s Covid-19 vaccine infringes on intellectual property built on more than two decades of research. BioNTech responded that its work is original and the company will defend against the infringement allegations.

New Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are coming and they’ll include protection against the omicron variant. The U.S. government agreed to a purchasing contract covering 105 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for a planned vaccination campaign in the fall.

Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna now have FDA emergency use authorization for children as young as 6 months old. If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signs off on these shots this weekend, these pediatric vaccines could become available for distribution early next week.

Breast cancer drugs and cell therapies were prominent in this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Here’s a recap of some of the news highlights from the biggest cancer conference of the year.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has big plans for cancer immunotherapy Libtayo and it believes it can better execute on them if it has full control of the drug, currently partnered with Sanofi. Regeneron struck a deal to pay Sanofi $900 million, plus another $200 million in milestones, to secure full global rights to the asset.

Pfizer and BioNTech reported positive clinical data for a Covid-19 booster in children younger than 5, results released ahead of a June FDA advisory committee meeting scheduled to discuss the use of that vaccine and Moderna’s in kids. In other Covid news this week, the CDC issued a health advisory for Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid and a respiratory failure drug for Covid-19 flunked its clinical trial.

The FDA amended emergency authorization of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine. In other regulatory news this past week, drug approvals include a cancer drug that converted its accelerated regulatory approval to a full regulatory nod, while several companies dealt with rejections or clinical trial setbacks.

Pfizer and BioNTech reported preliminary clinical data supporting use of their Covid-19 vaccine as a booster in children ages 5 to 11. In other Covid news, a vaccine developer won marketing authorization in Europe while another one faces a regulatory setback.

The DNA currently used in genetic medicines research is synthesized by chemical methods. Ansa Biotechnologies employs faster and less expensive enzymes-based technology, and the startup has raised capital to scale up operations as it prepares to launch its service.

Oral delivery of messenger RNA is one of the capabilities of Matinas BioPharma’s technology. BioNTech will explore that feature among others under a new research alliance with Matinas, a clinical-stage biotech that also has an ongoing collaboration with Genentech.

Affini-T Therapeutics is developing new cell therapies for cancer that could overcome limitations of the first generation of cell therapies. The initial genomic cancer targets of the startup are mutations of KRAS and p53, both of which have proven difficult to drug.