CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), the parent of the retail pharmacy chain CVS Pharmacy, Aetna and other brands, has committed to partnering with the Trump administration to administer Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) monoclonal antibody LY-CoV555 (bamlanivimab). The company will administer the intravenous therapy to high-risk patients in their homes or long-term care facilities. In the pilot program, CVS will administer 1,000…
HHS offering COVID-19 vaccine supply kits
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced it was gathering supply kits to facilitate a potential mass vaccine effort. FDA has yet to approve a vaccine for COVID-19, and at least five states are planning to require independent verification of vaccines after FDA approval. In the interim, HHS is partnering with…
How much could Operation Warp Speed change pharma, medtech distribution?
A top U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official used an appearance today at a virtual medtech conference to repeat the U.S. government’s astounding goal for its Operation Warp Speed program: start delivering 300 million doses of a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021. The project could revolutionize not only how pharmaceuticals are…
HHS gives Vaxxas $22M to support vaccine patch tech
Vaxxas announced today that it has received a $22 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at U.S. HHS to support a clinical study involving the company’s vaccine-delivery patch. The money will mostly pay for a Phase 1 clinical study in which Vaxxas’ high-density micro-array patch (HD-MAP) delivering pandemic influenza vaccine to…
U.S. to spend $1B for doses of J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and Defense Dept. agreed to a $1 billion deal for a vaccine candidate from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). HHS and DoD announced the agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutical, as the J&J subsidiary is set to offer large-scale manufacturing and the delivery of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, with the federal…
U.S. investing $42m to boost BD syringe and needle production
HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is helping BD expand operations and manufacturing capacity in Nebraska to boost syringe and needle supplies for an eventual COVID-19 vaccine. Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) said today that the total project will cost $70 million, with BARDA providing $42 million. The company expects the new capacity to be online within…