Included in President Joe Biden’s sprawling strategy document for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic are an array of plans intended to ramp up vaccination efforts. Also in the plan are proposals for accelerating the development of therapies such as antiviral compounds effective against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses with pandemic potential. The “full-scale, wartime” plans have considerable relevance…
5 takeaways from the latest White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting
The White House Coronavirus Task Force promised a swift rollout of COVID-19 vaccines — but one of a number of takeaways from its first briefing since July. The briefing yesterday gave the task force a chance to once again urge Americans to heed COVID-19 guidance while also providing an update on vaccines and therapeutics. The…
McKesson could pay $8B to settle opioid lawsuits
Medical supply firm McKesson (NYSE:MCK) announced in a quarterly report that it and two other drug distributors could pay as much as $21 billion in opioid lawsuit settlements over 18 years. Under the new proposal, McKessons’s share of the settlements could be $8 billion. Rivals AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) and Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) would pay the remainder…
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…