Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Clear blue skies are hovering over the Pharmalot campus, where a cool breeze is wafting by and the official mascots are bounding about the grounds in search of critters. As for us, we are engaged in the usual rituals of brewing cups of stimulation — our choice today is orange creme — and foraging for items of interest. On that note, please enjoy the latest menu of tidbits we have assembled for you. As always, we hope your journey is meaningful and productive, and that you conquer the world. And of course, do keep in touch. Secret dossiers and saucy secrets are especially welcomed. …
The gene-editing company Beam Therapeutics is alleging that one of its scientists stole intellectual property and used it to co-found a Chinese company that made a deal with venture capital firms, STAT tells us. The allegation comes at a time of escalating tensions between American biotech companies and their Chinese counterparts. Beam filed a lawsuit late last week accusing one of its former scientists, Zi Jun “Emma” Wang, of accessing the company’s electronic laboratory notebooks late at night and on weekends, then using the information she gleaned to start a company called YolTech Therapeutics.
Eric Cantor, a former GOP House majority leader, will be the next chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, STAT notes. As head of the brand-name drug industry’s top lobbying group, Cantor will face mounting political pressure on drug prices and an increasingly populist mood from both political parties. He starts work on Nov. 9 and arrives as the Trump administration tries to codify into law voluntary deals that were struck with more than two dozen companies to lower U.S. medicine prices to levels in peer countries.
