Pharma Campaign Contributions, Vaccine Hiccups and Lykos’ Moment of Truth

This week, Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. In July, Harris’ campaign netted a whopping $310 million—so where do pharmaceutical-connected contributions stand?  

Meanwhile, Q2 earnings continue to roll in, and the picture isn’t looking so bright for some companies particularly vaccine makers like BioNTech, Moderna and Pfizer, who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 cliff and new CDC guidelines around RSV vaccines.  

The FDA has also been busy of late, approving the first engineered cell therapy for solid tumors in Adaptimmune’s Tecelra. The regulator has another potential first on the docket this week in the form of Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD—but Lykos will need to overcome a decidedly negative advisory committee vote and concerns surrounding its Phase III trial design. If approved, it would be the first classic psychedelic therapy authorized in the U.S.