Coronavirus
School Closures in the Spring Saved Lives, Study Asserts
Benedict Carey and Pam Belluck, The New York Times
In a new analysis, pediatric researchers have estimated that the states’ decisions to close schools last spring likely saved tens of thousands of lives from Covid-19 and prevented many more coronavirus infections.
Quest says FDA cleared new ‘lab method’ that will cut coronavirus testing delays
Will Feuer, CNBC
Coronavirus test manufacturer Quest Diagnostics announced Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration has granted the company emergency authorization to use a new technique it says will cut the testing turnaround time to two to three days for most people.
Trump launches “Embers Strategy” in coronavirus hotspots
Alayna Treene and Jacob Knutson, Axios
The Trump administration is sending increased personal protective equipment, coronavirus test kits and top health officials like Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx to coronavirus hotspots across the U.S. as part of a campaign called the “Embers Strategy,” White House officials tell Axios.
Experimental Johnson & Johnson vaccine protects monkeys in a single dose: study
Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters
Johnson & Johnson on Thursday kicked off U.S. human safety trials for its COVID-19 vaccine after releasing details of a study in monkeys that showed its best-performing vaccine candidate offered strong protection in a single dose.
‘A huge experiment’: How the world made so much progress on a Covid-19 vaccine so fast
Andrew Joseph, Stat News
The colossal impact of the coronavirus is motivating the speed, opening a spigot of funding and inspiring research teams around the world to join the hunt. But the astonishing pace of the progress is also a consequence of the virus itself: It is, scientifically speaking, an easier target for potential vaccines than other pathogens, and a prime candidate for cutting-edge vaccine platforms new to scientists’ toolkits.
Old Vaccines May Stop the Coronavirus, Study Hints. Scientists Are Skeptical.
Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times
Old standbys like the Bacille Calmette-Guerin tuberculosis vaccine and the polio vaccine appear to help train the immune system to respond to a broad variety of infections, including from bacteria, viruses and parasites, experts say.
Covid-19 Survivors Should Stay Vigilant, Doctors Say
Sarah Toy and Margherita Stancati, The Wall Street Journal
As the new coronavirus continues to spread, patients who have recovered from Covid-19 still need to be careful, said doctors, scientists and public-health experts, who warn that no one is sure just how long immunity to the disease lasts.
Who should get a coronavirus vaccine first?
Lena H. Sun, The Washington Post
With some coronavirus vaccine trials in their much-anticipated final stage, U.S. officials and experts are wrestling with one of the most difficult issues facing the country: Who should be first to get limited doses of a vaccine during one of the worst public health crises in a century?
A Covid Patient Goes Home After a Rare Double Lung Transplant
Denise Grady, The New York Times
The last thing that Mayra Ramirez remembers from the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago is calling her family to say she had Covid, was about to be put on a ventilator and needed her mother to make medical decisions for her.
Trump, reeling from coronavirus fallout, revives campaign for debunked Covid-19 treatment
Quint Forgey, Politico
President Donald Trump and his top White House aides have aggressively renewed their promotion of hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for Covid-19, as the administration seeks to shift blame for the resurgence of the coronavirus less than 100 days before the November election.
House orders broad mask mandates after Gohmert gets virus
Alan Fram and Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Capitol officials issued broad new mask requirements Wednesday after a Republican member of Congress tested positive for the coronavirus. The member, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, often shunned wearing masks and was known to vote without one.
Payers
Anthem doubles second-quarter profit during pandemic
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare
Health insurer Anthem nearly doubled its profit to $2.3 billion in the second quarter of 2020 as it reaped the benefits of the widespread shutdown of elective procedures and deferrals of routine care during the height the COVID-19 pandemic.
Providers
CHS reports $70 million profit in second quarter
Alex Kacik, Modern Healthcare
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems recorded a profit in the second quarter even as revenue and hospital admissions fell. The 97-hospital investor-owned system reported a net income attributable to shareholders of $70 million on net operating revenue of $2.5 billion, up from a $167 million net loss on net operating revenue of $3.3 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Adjusted hospital admissions declined by more than 24% on a same-facility basis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which dented revenue by an estimated $1 billion, executives said.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
AstraZeneca bucks industry trend with rise in first-half profits
Donato Paolo Mancini, Financial Times
UK drugmaker AstraZeneca has increased first-half revenues and profits, bucking a trend at other large pharmaceutical groups that have begun to suffer from the coronavirus-related global economic slowdown.
Sanofi lifts earnings view as Regeneron stake sale boosts second quarter
Matthias Blamont, Reuters
Second-quarter net income was up 5.6% at constant exchange rates to 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion). Sanofi achieved 990 million euros of cost cuts in the first half and made $11.7 billion in May from selling shares in Regeneron. The money is expected to be spent on innovation and bolt-on acquisitions. Revenue, however, was down 3.4% in the quarter at 8.2 billion euros. Sales of vaccines were down 6.8% as coronavirus lockdowns hit international travel.
GlaxoSmithKline warns of hit to vaccines business
Donato Paolo Mancini, Financial Times
GSK’s second-quarter results laid bare the drag lockdowns have had on its vaccines business, where sales tumbled 29 per cent from a year ago to £1.13bn. The company makes vaccines for diseases including hepatitis and meningitis.
Roche bid to retool arthritis drug for COVID-19 fails
John Revill, Reuters
Roche’s (ROG.S) attempt to retool its rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra/RoActemra to treat patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19-related pneumonia has failed in a late-stage trial, the Swiss company said on Wednesday.
Drug maker settles charges of offering ‘bogus’ research grants to boost use of its medicine
Ed Silverman, Stat News
In the latest imbroglio involving drug makers and kickbacks, Pacira Biosciences (PCRX) has agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve allegations of paying doctors bogus research grants to persuade them to prescribe its only medicine, the Exparel painkiller, which is used during various surgical procedures.
Venture capitalists are still showering biotechs with cash, even as the coronavirus upends markets
Kate Sheridan, Stat News
Venture capitalists have already signed 240 biotech deals this year, collectively worth more than $10 billion, according to a recent SVB analysis. The average valuation for those companies has also increased since January, despite concerns about the potential impact of clinical trial delays.
Health IT
Medical devices provide another window for hospital hackers
Jessica Kim Cohen, Modern Healthcare
As COVID-19 swept the U.S., providers rapidly added web-connected equipment to increase patient data collection while minimizing touch points. But the technology may open hospitals up new vulnerabilities.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Maintaining Access to Albuterol for Asthma and Allergy Patients
Kenneth Mendez and JC Scott, Morning Consult
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, unfortunately, experienced some shortages on their medications.
Research Reports
HHS Secretary’s Report on: Addressing Surprise Medical Billing
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Surprise medical billing is a widespread and costly problem in the U.S. A person may receive a large bill for medical services received in an emergency situation where there is no realistic opportunity to select providers. Or a person may receive a bill for medical care received at an in-network facility that is provided by an out-of-network provider, without being forewarned that this is occurring. In these situations, patients are not able to engage in informed decision-making and lack basic consumer protections, such as transparent pricing, which would normally protect patients from receiving excessively high surprise bills.
General
Here’s a peek at the White House’s unreleased drug-pricing order
Rachel Cohrs, Modern Healthcare
Partial text of an executive order the White House has refused to make public indicates the White House is using a more aggressive version of a payment demonstration for outpatient drugs to try to pressure drugmakers to the negotiating table.
Trump brags about his cognitive test. But for those with dementia, it’s devastating.
William Wan, The Washington Post
Trump has treated the cognitive assessment as a political tool, boasting repeatedly about his score on a test designed to detect early signs of dementia. He has used it as a cudgel, attacking the mental acuity of former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, goading him to take the assessment and saying Biden would not fare as well as him. But for many Americans, the test Trump keeps trumpeting is one of the most fraught, traumatic turning points in their lives — that moment when they realize their mind is beginning to fail and glimpse the troubled path ahead for them and their families.
Federal judge blocks Trump immigration ‘public charge’ rule due to pandemic
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill
The Trump administration’s controversial “public charge” rule linking immigrants’ legal status to their use of public benefits on Wednesday was blocked by a federal judge. Judge George Daniels of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a nationwide injunction stopping the administration from enforcing the requirements, citing the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pelosi huddles with chairmen on surprise billing but deal elusive
Peter Sullivan, The Hill
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met with three Democratic committee chairmen on Monday in an effort to bridge differences between competing plans to protect patients from surprise medical bills, but there was no breakthrough, according to people familiar with the meeting.
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