Blackstone Announces Appointment of Jeffrey B. Kindler, Former Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, as Senior Advisor

Tuesday, 4 August 2020, 21:30:00
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced the appointment of Jeffrey B. Kindler, former Chairman and CEO of Pfizer and current CEO of Centrexion Therapeutics, as a Senior Advisor. Mr. Kindler will bring his deep management experience and wide-ranging expertise in the healthcare sector to advise across the firm’s businesses and portfolio companies, with a focus on Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (Tac Opps) and Blackstone Growth (BXG). David Blitzer, Global Head of Blackst
— Business Wire

Russia says it will start mass-producing its coronavirus vaccine next month — as scientists say developers rushed through tests and injected themselves to shorten human trials

Tuesday, 4 August 2020, 15:21:48
Russia says it will start mass producing its leading coronavirus vaccine prototype in September. The safety and efficacy of this vaccine has been heavily doubted, however, with its developers accused of rushing through safety trials to please the Kremlin, which is keen to win the global vaccine race. The researchers said they trialed the vaccine on themselves to speed through human trials. A leading Russian scientific association called it a “crude violation of the very foundations of clinical research.” The Kremlin has portrayed Russia as a pandemic success story, despite accusations of fabricated data and a cover-up. President Vladimir Putin has also mocked the US response to its outbreak. A top Russian official likened the vaccine race to the Space Race during the Cold War, telling CNN : “Americans were surprised when they heard Sputnik’s beeping. It’s the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first.” Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories . Russia says it will start mass-producing its coronavirus vaccine next month, despite widespread reports that scientists rushed through tests and injected themselves with the prototype to speed up the process.
— Business Insider

Our Facebook ad boycott failed. Here’s why it still matters

Tuesday, 4 August 2020, 11:00:07
When my company, Dashlane, joined a handful of brands in pulling advertising from Facebook for the month of July, we couldn’t have imagined that hundreds of other companies would join us to #StopHateForProfit. We couldn’t have imagined those efforts culminating in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other titans of Big Tech appearing on Capitol Hill in one of the most robust demonstrations of our democray’s strength in the face of consolidated market power since the beginnings of the New Deal. We could have, however, very easily imagined Facebook’s stellar earnings just days after the hearings and the boycott’s end. Nothing could more powerfully prove the need for change than these profits in the face of elected officials’ consternation and advertiser and consumer outrage. Even though the boycott hasn’t made a dent in Facebook’s business, it still has an important message. We joined the #StopHateForProfit movement to bring attention to Facebook as a place that props up and disseminates hate speech.
— Fast Company

A top Wall Street analyst gamed out 12 scenarios for Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, and he said positive results could come as soon as October

Monday, 3 August 2020, 21:54:00
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidate could report positive efficacy results as soon as late October, a top Wall Street analyst said. Jefferies biotech analyst Michael Yee mapped out 12 potential scenarios, depending on how quickly the volunteers sign up for the study, the rate of infection, and how effective Moderna’s shot is. The bank’s analysis found we will likely know if Moderna’s experimental vaccine actually prevents disease or infection by October at the earliest or in early 2021 at the latest. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories . In a best-case scenario, a promising coronavirus vaccine candidate could be shown to work in about three months. Michael Yee, a biotech analyst at Jefferies, gamed out 12 potential scenarios for how a critical study testing Moderna’s experimental vaccine will play out. Under the best circumstances, the Massachusetts biotech could have data showing the vaccine helps prevent disease or infection in late October, which Yee dubbed a possible “Halloween treat.” That’s similar to the timeline Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel recently outlined in an interview with Business Insider . “The best-case scenario, if everything is rosy, could be October,” Bancel said.
— Business Insider

Pfizer Deal Pushes Carlyle-Backed Drug Developer PPD to Record

Monday, 3 August 2020, 17:45:29
https://www.investing.com/news/pfizer-deal-pushes-carlylebacked-drug-developer-ppd-to-record-2251228
— Investing.com