Alpha Cognition, F2G and Immune Pharmaceuticals pick up new CEOs, and there is a new chief medical officer at Gemini Therapeutics.

The CDC and FDA recommended a pause on dosing of J&J's one-shot vaccine. Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine showed signs of lower efficacy against the B.1.351 variant, but a prominent expert called the data "misleading." Gilead halted its Phase III study of Veklury in non-hospitalized, high-risk patients. And Rigel's Tavalisse may have a shot in the sickest COVID-19 patients despite the small size of a Phase II study.

Entries for the Scrip Awards are now open. Now in their 17th year, the Awards seek to reward the outstanding achievements of the pharmaceutical, biotech and allied industries in improving human health and will take place in London on 2 December.

New chief medical officers at AlzeCure Pharma, Eledon, Prothena and Tyme Technologies.

Global research consortium to investigate the use of immunoglobulin as a COVID-19 therapy ends following disappointing results from a Phase III trial. Meanwhile, Russian vaccine producer RDIF is snapping up more production capacity in India, where interferon has also progressed as a possible treatment. 

The companies still plan to develop a variant-specific version, while J&J said it anticipates meeting vaccine supply goals despite a manufacturing mix-up.