STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about an FDA commish nominee, mRNA cancer vaccine results, and more

Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, especially since the middle of the week is upon us. After all, we have made it this far, so we are determined to hang on for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not so appetizing. And what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So grab that cup of stimulation and get started. Our flavor today is strawberry creme, for those tracking our habits. Now, though, the time has come to get busy. So please grab your own cup and dig in to the items of interest assembled below. We hope you have a wonderful day, and please do keep in touch. …

President Trump is expected to nominate Heidi Overton, deputy director of domestic policy for the White House, to serve as the next commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, STAT writes. Overton, who has been a powerful health policy voice in Trump’s second term and, at times, frustrated leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement, will have to face scrutiny from a U.S. Senate panel before getting the job, should Trump choose her. Overton joined the White House at the start of Trump’s term and has led health policy ever since, working closely with the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, added to an existing treatment, slowed the return of melanoma and its spread to other parts of the body in a late-stage clinical trial, results that could herald a new, powerful approach in oncology, STAT writes. Merck and Moderna did not immediately release detailed data, but if the results hold up, they could deliver new hope and potentially longer lives for patients. They could also be a further testament to the power of mRNA as a platform to develop both traditional vaccines and therapeutics. Approval of the treatment would also be a boon for Moderna’s mRNA platform, which has become a political lightning rod.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…