Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Senators voted 52 to 47 to confirm Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as Health and Human Services secretary, where he will be a key leader implementing reversals to the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, Trump’s pick to lead the Medicare agency, Seema Verma, faces a confirmation hearing in the Senate Feb. 16.

An all-Republican Senate Finance panel changed the committee’s rules Feb. 1 and voted 14-0 to advance HHS Secretary nominee Tom Price’s, R-Ga., confirmation to the full Senate, after the panel’s Democrats, led by ranking member Ron Wyden of Oregon, boycotted Price’s confirmation markup for a second day due to lingering questions about Price’s investments in Innate Immunotherapeutics stocks, Wyden said.

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden led other panel Democrats in boycotting a planned Jan. 31 vote on the confirmation of Rep. Tom Price as HHS Secretary. Wyden said the nominee "misled the public" and held back information on discounted shares of an Australian biomedical firm he bought. Committee Chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was surprised by the setback to President Trump's nominee, and swore to bring Senate Democrats back to the committee to "do their job.”