Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite, which was longer on this side of the pond, was refreshing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of online calls, meetings, and deadlines has predictably returned. But what can you do? The world, such as it is, keeps spinning. So time to give it a nudge with a cup or more of stimulation, yes? Our choice today is the ever-smooth butter pecan. Feel free to join us. Meanwhile, we have assembled a few tidbits for you to peruse as you settle in. Hope your day is productive and meaningful. And of course, do keep in touch. …
Looking to bolster its vaccines business with new technology, GSK is buying Affinivax in a transaction worth up to $3.3 billion, The Financial Times tells us. The drugmaker expects to pay $2.1 billion up front and “milestone” payments of up to $1.2 billion, if a new Affinivax vaccine for bacterial pneumococcal infections succeeds in trials. Affinivax developed a multiple-antigen presenting system, which creates vaccines that teach the immune system to recognize a number of pathogens at the same time and create protective antibodies and T cells. The company has used the technology in the development of a vaccine to prevent pneumococcal infections, such as pneumonia and meningitis.