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.

Oncology is already a big piece of Pfizer’s drug lineup. The portfolio is expanding to multiple myeloma with FDA approval of Elrexfio, a bispecific antibody that targets the cancer protein BCMA.

GSK claims that Pfizer’s FDA-approved vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus infringes on four patents protecting its own approved vaccine, Arexvy. The patent suit comes with the RSV season approaching.

Pfizer and Flagship Pioneering are partnering in a drug research alliance leveraging the capabilities of the more than 40 biotech startups in the venture capital firm’s portfolio. The new partners aim to develop drugs for unmet needs, including those in broad patient populations.

Ngenla, a hormone drug from partners Pfizer and Opko Health, is now FDA approved for treating children with growth hormone deficiency. The once-weekly injectable biologic will compete against an Ascendis Pharma product that won its FDA approval in 2021.

Pfizer’s Litfulo is the first treatment approved for treating adolescents with severe alopecia areata. The drug’s approval also covers adults, were it will compete against Eli Lilly’s Olumiant.

Pfizer’s Abrysvo is now approved for preventing illness caused by respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in adults 60 and older. The regulatory decision comes weeks after GSK won approval for its RSV vaccine, Arexvy.

Marstacimab, a Pfizer drug for both hemophilia A and B, met the main goal of a Phase 3 study and the company now plans to discuss the data with regulators. The Pfizer drug could beat to the market a Novo Nordisk drug that addresses the same novel target.

Paxlovid, a Pfizer antiviral awarded FDA emergency authorization in 2021 for treating Covid-19, is now approved for treating adults. Results from a pivotal clinical trial showed that Paxlovid led to an 86% reduction in Covid-19-related hospitalization or death from any cause compared to a placebo.

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.

Royalty Pharma’s milestone payment from the approval of Pfizer migraine drug Zavzpret stems from financing deals struck with the therapy’s previous developer, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals. Royalty Pharma is also in line to receive royalty payments going beyond the next decade.

Pfizer is no stranger to antibody drug conjugate cancer therapies, but it hasn’t been commercially successful with them. The pharma giant’s agreement to acquire Seagen for $43 billion will thrust it to the forefront of the ADC drug class, which has become a hot space for research and regulatory activity in recent years.

Pfizer’s respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate infants has clinical data showing it helped prevent severe infections in infants. It’s a maternal vaccine that produces antibodies in the mother that confer temporary protection to a baby.

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.

Pfizer’s own R&D efforts in sickle cell disease have fallen short, so the pharmaceutical giant is turning to M&A to gain a presence in the blood disorder. The acquisition of Global Blood therapeutics brings the commercialized drug Oxbryta plus a pipeline of other therapeutic candidates.

Pfizer is stopping work on a drug for a rare heart disease after an interim look at Phase 3 data indicated that the study was unlikely to succeed. The small molecule came to Pfizer’s drug pipeline as part of the $11.4 billion acquisition of Array Biopharma in 2019.

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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.

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.

Rising deal premiums and shrinking profit margins are threatening the sustainability of the traditional approach to mergers and acqusitions, according to a report by Accenture. The firm expects growth-minded companies will turn to other pathways.

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.

When consumer healthcare products joint venture Haleon spins out from GSK as an independent company next month, Pfizer will sell its minority stake in the business. Pfizer said that selling its ownership in Haleon is keeping with its focus on developing innovative new medicines and vaccines.

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.

Pfizer is turning to M&A to get its next blockbuster, buying Biohaven six months after the two companies began a commercialization pact centered on the oral migraine drug Nurtec. The acquisition will lead to the spinout of Biohaven’s other assets into a new, publicly traded company capitalized with $275 million.