Private Company Edition: Recent biopharma venture capital financings add up to $1.7bn, including a $135m crossover round for HilleVax after spinning out of Takeda in July to advance a norovirus vaccine, Skyhawk’s $133m in fresh funding and Obsidian’s $115m series B round.

The approval of China's second CAR-T therapy has come amid reimbursement challenges, despite the pricing of its direct competitor being much lower than in the US. Chinese developers are pinning their hopes on rapid domestic market expansion via commercial insurance tie-ups as other CAR-Ts move through local development.

Chief scientist Denise Hinton will decide the fate of Covis’ preterm birth prevention drug because acting commissioner Janet Woodcock has recused herself; CBER deputy director Celia Witten is tapped to serve as presiding officer at the hearing, which will be only the second of its kind under accelerated approval regulations.

Anne Carpenter, one of In Vivo’s 2021 Rising Leaders, talks about the growth of open source technology, putting data into action and why pharma deserves to be rewarded for evolving academic findings into marketable products for patients.