Morning Consult Health: Emergent BioSolutions Gets OK From FDA to Resume J&J Vaccine Production at Baltimore Plant
 

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July 29, 2021
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Public Supports Bill That Would Hold Internet Companies Accountable for Misinformation on Health Emergencies

Part of the Biden administration’s battle to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates has been to tamp down on bogus claims surrounding the shot that could scare away vaccine-hesitant adults. One potential solution from the Hill is legislation that would hold social media companies accountable for misinformation about the vaccines and public health emergencies more broadly.

 

A new Morning Consult poll found that such legislation has support among most of the public, with 63 percent of U.S. adults saying they would support a bill addressing the spread of public health misinformation on internet platforms. The bill even has bipartisan support, with backing from 78 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of Republicans.

 

You can read more in this story by Morning Consult senior editor Matt Bracken.

 

Top Stories

  • Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said the Food and Drug Administration has given the company permission to restart COVID-19 vaccine production at a plant in Baltimore that was shut down in April after inspectors said unsanitary conditions resulted in the contamination of millions of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses. The Baltimore plant could produce up to 120 million doses monthly once it’s fully operational, one person familiar with the issue said, though finished doses would likely not be available until this fall. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Johnson & Johnson said the FDA has agreed to extend the shelf life of its COVID-19 vaccine from four-and-a-half months to six months based on data from ongoing studies. (Reuters)
  • The Biden administration revoked Trump-era guidance earlier this month that limited fines on nursing homes that were determined to have endangered or injured their residents. The new policy allows regulators to issue per-day or per-instance fines on nursing homes, changed from the Trump administration’s guidance that limited multiple penalties to a single fine. (The New York Times)
  • The Senate voted to break an initial filibuster on its bipartisan infrastructure deal, though final passage of the legislation remains uncertain as Republican lawmakers are expected to seek amendment votes and input on the legislation. A summary of the bill obtained by Politico shows that the legislation would mostly be paid through $205 billion in unused COVID-19 aid funds as well as $49 billion for postponing a drug rebate rule. (Politico)
 

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Events Calendar (All Times Local)

 

What Else You Need to Know

Coronavirus
 

‘The CDC hasn’t changed’: Biden’s top health officials try to sell new masking guidance

Quint Forgey, Politico

Scientists say new data on the Delta variant has changed the agency’s calculus on mask-wearing among vaccinated Americans.

 

The C.D.C. now says fully vaccinated people should get tested after exposure even if they don’t show symptoms.

Emily Anthes, The New York Times

In addition to revising its mask guidance on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also quietly updated its testing recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

 

CDC reversal on indoor masking prompts experts to ask, ‘Where’s the data?’
Joel Achenbach et al., The Washington Post

“They’re making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means,” said Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. “It’s meaningless unless we see the data.”

 

Another coronavirus variant has reached Florida. Here’s what you need to know.

Lateshia Beachum, The Washington Post

A coronavirus variant discovered in Colombia is showing up among patients in South Florida, increasing infections and putting health officials on alert as calls grow louder for unvaccinated individuals to get inoculated.

 

Citing New Data, Pfizer Outlines Case for Booster Shots

Carl Zimmer et al., The New York Times

Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine may become slightly weaker over time, the company reported. But experts said that most people won’t need boosters anytime soon.

 

Pfizer Executives Lay Out Plans for Covid Vaccine’s Next Phase

Riley Griffin, Bloomberg

Following Pfizer’s second-quarter earnings announcement Wednesday, Bloomberg spoke with Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla and Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten to get a sense of how the drug giant is navigating the ever-changing state of the pandemic.

 

Senate GOP steps up vaccine push amid lingering conservative skepticism

Burgess Everett, Politico

Top Senate Republicans are dramatically stepping up their pro-vaccine outreach as several of their home states lag behind national Covid inoculation rates and mask recommendations return in many areas.

 

Some Republicans Reject Revived Covid-19 Mask Rules in Congress

Siobhan Hughes, The Wall Street Journal

Several House Republicans flouted rules reimposing mask requirements on the House floor to stop the spread of Covid-19, with some GOP lawmakers angrily denouncing the new effort while congressional leaders traded insults.

 

England to Open Up to Vaccinated American Travelers

Benjamin Katz and Karina Shah, The Wall Street Journal

England is open to American visitors again. The government said it would allow U.S. citizens, and those from most of the European Union, to enter England without quarantine requirements from Monday if they can demonstrate proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, hoping for an influx of late-summer tourists.

 

Google to Require Vaccinations for On-Campus Staff as Employers Rethink Return Plans

Tripp Mickle and Chip Cutter, The Wall Street Journal

Google will require all of its employees coming to campus to be vaccinated and delay its workforce’s return to the office until mid-October, joining a number of public and private enterprises taking new precautions as the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 sweeps the U.S.

 

Judge offers an alternative to community service sentences: covid-19 vaccination
Max Hauptman, The Washington Post

The judge began offering the alternative earlier this week, amid a surge in case numbers in Louisiana.

 
General
 

White House not planning to lift Covid border restrictions this month
Sabrina Rodriguez and Anita Kumar, Politico

President Joe Biden was widely expected to lift restrictions this summer that have blocked migrants from seeking asylum since the start of the pandemic. The fast-spreading delta variant of the Covid-19 virus and surging numbers of border apprehensions have derailed those plans.

 

Democrats consider scaling back new funds to fight next pandemic
Peter Sullivan, The Hill

Congressional Democrats are considering cutting new funds for pandemic preparedness in an upcoming package from the $30 billion proposed by President Biden to as little as $5 billion, sources say, prompting alarm from public health advocates.

 

U.S. top diplomat meets with WHO chief, backs study into COVID-19 origins
Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday and affirmed U.S. support for the global health body’s plans to conduct additional studies into the origins of COVID-19, including in China.

 

U.S. House panel seeks J&J documents on baby powder bankruptcy plans

Jessica DiNapoli and Dan Levine, Reuters

A U.S. congressional panel has asked Johnson & Johnson to provide it all documents related to the company’s plans to put its talc liabilities into bankruptcy, according to a letter sent on Wednesday and seen by Reuters.

 

Covid Renews Interest in Radiation, but Docs Caution Against Pilgrimages to Radon-Filled Mines
Katheryn Houghton, Kaiser Health News

While radon is commonly known as a hazardous gas removed from basements, people in pain travel to Montana and pay to breathe, drink and bathe in its radioactive particles. The travelers view the radon exposure as low-dose radiation therapy for a long list of health issues.

 
Payers
 

Seniors Ditch Health Plans, Putting Pricey Care on U.S. Tab

John Tozzi, Bloomberg Law

More American seniors are abandoning private Medicare Advantage health coverage as they age, a trend that could push costly end-of-life care back on to taxpayers, according to a government report.

 

Pfizer Court Fight Could Legalize Medicare Copays and Unleash ‘Gold Rush’ in Sales
Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News

A Pfizer win could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and erase an important control on pharma marketing after decades of regulatory erosion and soaring drug prices, say health policy analysts. A federal judge’s ruling is expected any day.

 

Olympic Dream Dashed After Bike Crash and Nightmare Medical Bill Over $200K
Samantha Young, Kaiser Health News

Gaimon collided with three health system dangers in this physically and financially painful crash: an out-of-state emergency, out-of-network care and gold-plated prices from both hospitals that treated him. Gaimon said he could sell his house and pay these bills, “but I shouldn’t have to. I have insurance.”

 
Providers
 

Lawmakers back Provider Relief Fund deadline extensions
Jessie Hellmann, Modern Healthcare

Providers that received HHS COVID-19 relief funds would get until the end of the year or the end public health emergency to spend that money under a bipartisan bill introduced Wednesday.

 

Women Surgeons at Greater Risk of Pregnancy Loss, Study Finds

Emma Goldberg, The New York Times

The demands of the profession appear to clash with the process of starting a family.

 

Hospitals and pharma are both on the hook to help fund infrastructure deal
Rachel Cohrs, Stat News

Both hospitals and drug makers are on the hook to help pay for the Senate’s grand infrastructure bargain, though hospitals scored a big victory in defending their Covid-19 relief dollars.

 
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
 

AstraZeneca Loses Money on Covid-19 Vaccine for Second Straight Quarter
Jenny Strasburg and Cecilia Butini, The Wall Street Journal

AstraZeneca PLC narrowed losses from its Covid-19 vaccine in the second quarter, but the shot continued to weigh on the drug giant’s earnings.

 

AstraZeneca exploring options for COVID-19 vaccine business, exec says
Reuters

AstraZeneca is exploring its options for the future of its COVID-19 vaccine business and expects greater clarity on the matter by the end of 2021, a senior executive told Reuters on Thursday.

 

Sanofi raises profit forecast after second quarter beat

Matthias Blamont, Reuters

Sanofi raised its 2021 profit forecast on Thursday after its vaccines and star eczema treatment Dupixent helped it beat second-quarter results expectations.

 

Democrats Want Pentagon to Pay Less for Drugs, Vaccines It Funds

Alex Ruoff, Bloomberg Law

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) press the secretary of defense to use the department’s powers to lower what it pays for drugs and vaccines that were developed with government funding.

 

Biogen Decision Clarifies FDA Alzheimer’s Standard, Bristol Says

Emma Court, Bloomberg

The approval of Biogen Inc.’s Aduhelm clarifies the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s standard for drugs for neurodegenerative diseases, making it easier to design studies for new therapies, said Samit Hirawat, chief medical officer of Bristol Myers Squibb Co.

 
Health Technology
 

Tech steps in to help with healthcare staffing
Mari Devereaux, Modern Healthcare

Virtual platforms that match employers with healthcare workers through an automated process are becoming a highly utilized alternative to traditional recruitment and hiring.

 
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
 

Providing Seniors Financial Relief for Medicines in the Post-COVID Dawn
Mark Reisenauer (President, Astellas Pharma US), Morning Consult

COVID-19 has highlighted the health challenges of America’s seniors — hitting them harder than the rest of the population. But the pandemic obscured public policy reforms needed to help older adults afford the care they need, beyond the coronavirus. As we work together to make progress towards a post-pandemic dawn, it is time for Congress to address this irony and to ease the ongoing financial burden that many of our seniors face for the medicines they need.

 

Mask up (again) and get vaccinated. Now is not the time to let up against covid.
Editorial Board, The Washington Post

The highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus has forced a return to face masks in some places. Despite the grim disappointment of what might appear to be a step backward, the nation’s pandemic response must not flag. 

 
Morning Consult