A California jury has ordered Novartis Pharmaceuticals to pay $178 million to Daiichi Sankyo's Plexxikon for infringing on two patents for skin cancer drug Tafinlar. A Novartis spokesperson said the company "is considering further its options," which include an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma announced that more than 95% of its creditors voted in favor of its restructuring plan, which involves paying billions of dollars to the communities that sued the firm and its owners for their involvement in the US opioid epidemic. Final voting results are expected by Aug. 2, but the company does not expect any material changes.

A federal judge has dismissed a second amended class-action lawsuit against Mylan and Pfizer that accused the two companies of using anticompetitive strategies and engaging in "multi-faceted, overarching conspiracy" to maintain their monopoly on epinephrine injector EpiPen. The complainant, pharmacy operator KPH Healthcare Services, has no legal ground to make the claims, according to the court.

High demand for bioreactor bags, filters and plastic tubes has slowed production of COVID-19 vaccines, as have shortages of lipid nanoparticles and trained workers. The new Covax Marketplace matches manufacturers and suppliers, and a task force has been set up to boost manufacturing facilities, staff and expertise low- and middle-income countries.

The European Medicines Agency has authorized the use of Spikevax, Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, in adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the European Union. The authorization was based on results from a data from a study that included 3,732 participants.

The FDA has requested that Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech expand the scope and size of clinical trials designed to assess their COVID-19 vaccines in children ages 5 to 11 in an effort to ensure the studies capture rare side effects such as myocarditis.

Listen to Aon Cyber and Ransomware experts discuss cyber threats, and how to protect energy companies against ransomware attacks, data breaches and other business interruptions related to cyber and ransomware events. The speakers highlight the costs associated with attacks, emerging risks, and explore how Aon’s leading edge cyber and ransomware solutions team helps energy companies navigate these risks on a proactive and reactive basis.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many companies discovered significant vulnerabilities in their supply chains, remote working capabilities, IT management and beyond. Together, these vulnerabilities created a stress test for companies' business continuity management strategies.