• The World Health Organization said younger adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s are becoming the primary spreaders of COVID-19 in many countries and may be unaware they are infected because their symptoms tend to be less severe. WHO officials said more than half of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia and the Philippines in recent weeks were among people younger than 40 and that 65 percent of recent cases in Japan were among those in the same age group. (The Washington Post)

• The National Institutes of Health sent a letter to New York-based nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, saying that the organization must send the NIH information and materials from its research partner in Wuhan, China, in order to win back its multimillion-dollar research grant. The letter, which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal, said EcoHealth must provide a sample of COVID-19 that Wuhan researchers used to identify the virus’s genetic sequence and that the organization has to set up an inspection of the Wuhan Institute of Virology by an independent team to review the lab’s records. (The Wall Street Journal)

• The Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board, which was created in February by the Health and Human Services Department, recommended that HHS deny funding for 13 of 14 research proposals concerning research involving fetal tissue. A majority of the board’s members are outspoken opponents to fetal tissue research, and in the report on its decisions, the board offered various reasons to reject the proposals, including one member’s concerns that the “study was ‘too interwoven with the practice of abortion.’” (The New York Times)

• Johnson & Johnson said it plans to acquire Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a $6.5 billion all-cash deal that would expand J&J’s capacity in medications to treat autoimmune diseases. (Axios)

The six states at risk of COVID-19 surges
David Hogberg, Washington Examiner

An examination of data from the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University shows that six states are experiencing an increase in the positivity rate over at least the last week after it had leveled off or was declining: Alaska, Indiana, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, and Wisconsin.

Roche, Regeneron link up to develop COVID-19 antibody cocktail
John Miller, Reuters

Roche is adding its manufacturing muscle and global development expertise to Regeneron’s bid to create an antibody cocktail for COVID-19 that the Swiss and U.S. companies hope can be used to slow the pandemic.

Fauci says he does not see US mandating COVID-19 vaccination for general public
Jessie Hellmann, The Hill

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Tuesday he doesn’t see the U.S. mandating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Why Pooled Testing for the Coronavirus Isn’t Working in America
Katherine J. Wu, The New York Times

Pooled testing only works when the vast majority of batches test negative. If the proportion of positives is too high, more pools come up positive — requiring each individual sample to then be retested, wasting precious chemicals.

Many steps needed for accurate COVID-19 test results
Matthew Perrone, The Associated Press

No test is 100% accurate and all medical tests are expected to deliver a certain small portion of false results. Less is known about the accuracy of COVID-19 tests because of how quickly they were rushed through the regulatory process because of the pandemic.

COVID Testing Choke Points
Hannah Norman, Kaiser Health News

In some ways, the nation’s COVID testing system is like a game of Jenga: When one piece falters, the entire tower collapses.

Teva Sued by U.S. Over Claims of Copaxone Medicare Fraud
Bob Van Voris and Jef Feeley, Bloomberg

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. defrauded Medicare and other government health programs by channeling $300 million through two charitable foundations to boost sales of the company’s best-selling multiple-sclerosis drug Copaxone, the U.S. said in a lawsuit.

Job-based health coverage will be more expensive in 2021
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare

Large employers expect the cost of providing health coverage to workers to increase next year, as employees seek care they put off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

People of color struggle to afford health care
Marisa Fernandez, Axios

People of color disproportionately lack stable health insurance and have more trouble affording health care than white Americans, a new survey from the Commonwealth Fund shows.

Senate GOP narrows COVID-19 relief asks, removes provider funding
Rachel Cohrs, Modern Healthcare

Senate Republicans are considering a new, slimmer COVID-19 relief bill that includes no additional funds for healthcare provider grants.

FDA finalizes penalties for clinical trial sponsors that don’t share data, but critics say they fall short
Ed Silverman, Stat News

After a year of deliberation, the Food and Drug Administration released final guidelines for penalizing clinical trial sponsors that fail to register studies, do not report results to a government database, or submit false information. But transparency experts argued the agency effort falls short in some ways.

Flu Season Will Be a Test Run for the U.S.’s Biggest-Ever Vaccine Campaign
John Tozzi and Angelica LaVito, Bloomberg

This fall, the U.S. will need to vaccinate huge numbers of Americans in the middle of a public-health crisis. It will also be a valuable dry run should a coronavirus shot arrive months later.

Slower mail could leave patients without prescription drugs they need
Bob Herman, Axios

Slowdowns in mail delivery could have serious consequences for the millions of Americans who get prescription drugs — in some cases, lifesaving treatments — through the mail.

An expected blockbuster drug from Gilead is rejected, imperiling the biotech’s future growth
Adam Feuerstein and Damian Garde, Stat News

Back before remdesivir became a household name, Gilead Sciences’ most-discussed drug was filgotinib, a treatment for inflammatory disease expected to deliver billions of dollars in new revenue at a time when the biotech desperately needs it. All that got put in jeopardy on Tuesday night.

Martin Shkreli fails to end FTC, New York lawsuit over Daraprim price hikes
Jonathan Stempel, Reuters

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Martin Shkreli’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the imprisoned former pharmaceutical executive of trying to monopolize the lifesaving drug Daraprim, whose price he raised more than 4,000% in one day.

COVID-19 could push systems to create telehealth leadership roles
Jessica Kim Cohen and Alex Kacik, Modern Healthcare

More healthcare providers are carving out telehealth leadership roles in their C-suites, a trend that will likely accelerate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, governance experts said.

How Hackers Bled 118 Bitcoins Out of Covid Researchers in U.S.
Kartikay Mehrotra, Bloomberg Businessweek

The negotiator entered the chatroom four days after the attack. Hackers had locked down several servers used by the epidemiology and biostatistics department at the University of California at San Francisco, and wanted a $3 million ransom to give them the keys. 

This Immunization Month’s Heightened Meaning Should Inspire a Reliance on Pharmacies
Steven C. Anderson, Morning Consult

This year, August’s National Immunization Awareness Month comes at a critical time for our nation. Health care professionals are working around the clock to meet patients’ needs, including those related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, its collision with flu season and the eventual deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

Report of the Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board- FY2020
National Institutes of Health

In making its findings and recommendations, the Board considered the information contained in the grant applications and contract proposals. The Board assessed considerations as to whether the nature of the research involved is such that it is unethical to conduct or support the research.

West Virginia sues CVS, Walmart for aiding opioid epidemic
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill

West Virginia’s attorney general filed lawsuits Tuesday against Walmart and CVS, alleging the companies helped create the state’s devastating opioid epidemic.

HHS reveals 10-year plan to tackle nation’s public health
Michael Brady, Modern Healthcare

HHS on Tuesday set more than 350 measurable goals as part of its 10-year plan to tackle the nation’s most pressing public health issues.

Juul E-Cigarette Getting FDA Review to Stay on the U.S. Market
Angelica LaVito, Bloomberg

The Food and Drug Administration will start reviewing Juul Labs Inc.’s applications for its e-cigarette device and nicotine cartridges, the company announced Tuesday.

‘I’m not here to replace anyone’: New Trump adviser Scott Atlas says his role is to work with Fauci
Cassidy Morrison, Washington Examiner

Dr. Scott Atlas, the newest adviser to President Trump, insisted that he has not taken the place of other government health experts on the coronavirus task force despite becoming a fixture at recent White House press events.