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March 24, 2020___

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Amid frenzy over potential COVID-19 drug, patients see shortages and states fight reckless scripts

As the fervor around hydroxychloroquine escalates—fueled by President Donald Trump’s praising of the med as a potential COVID-19 therapy—patients who need the drug are reporting shortages and states are taking steps to lock down supply. 

Top Stories

Ford details 'scrappy and creative' plans to boost medical equipment production with 3M, GE

Ford Motor Company has outlined plans to re-task some of its manufacturing lines toward the production of much-needed medical equipment including protective face masks, personal air-filtering equipment and ventilator systems for intensive care units.

COVID-19 could cause insurance premiums to spike as much as $251B next year: report

Commercial and independent insurer premiums could reach as high as 40% in 2021 due to the massive cost of treating and testing associated with COVID-19, a report from California's state-run ACA exchange found.

Analysis: Large majority of hospitals could lose $2,800 for treating each COVID-19 patient

A new financial analysis found that all hospitals could be in dire straits due to the massive outbreak of COVID-19 cases, punctuating the need for more help from Congress;

With visas in doubt, U.S. teaching hospitals may be without thousands of new residents

Last Friday, more than 7,000 international medical graduates matched with residency programs at U.S. hospitals. But now with visas in doubt for the 4,222 who are not American citizens, those U.S. teaching hospitals may be without thousands of new residents at a time when they may be critically needed.

Healthcare roundup: Doctors, nurses, hospitals to the public: #StayHome; NY asks for all ventilators in stockpile

FierceHealthcare's ongoing coverage of how the coronavirus is impacting the healthcare industry.

Biopharma roundup: AstraZeneca gifts masks, advances testing work; Trump wants U.S. 'raring to go' in weeks

AstraZeneca is helping with the global response by donating 9 million masks and bolstering its testing offerings. Meanwhile, U.S. health officials say it'll take months to get a handle on the pandemic, but President Donald Trump said he wants the economy to restart quickly.

Top COVID-19 aspirants chloroquine, AbbVie’s Kaletra and a flu drug disappoint in clinical tests

Malaria drug chloroquine, AbbVie’s HIV combo therapy Kaletra and an influenza med called Arbidol are among top candidates that physicians are repurposing for the treatment of COVID-19. Despite backing from officials, though, the three have disappointed separately in two clinical trials in mild Chinese patients.

FDA authorizes hand-held COVID-19 diagnostic test

Mesa Biotech’s palm-sized Accula device is designed to enable near-patient testing, available anywhere outside of the laboratory, with results in about 30 minutes.

Roche pleads for global harmony as it supercharges production of Actemra, COVID-19 tests

China’s use of Roche's Actemra for some COVID-19 patients has put the arthritis drug in the spotlight and set it up for a surge in demand. Roche is trying to stay ahead of that curve by upping production, even as it tests it on COVID-19. 

Gilead eases HIV supply chain fears as COVID-19 manufacturing concerns mount

Fearing shortages of COVID-19 hopeful remdesivir, Gilead Sciences has mostly shut the tap for the antiviral candidate as it cycles through clinical trials. But shortages won't be hitting its other drugs, it reassured the public Tuesday.

The founder of Mint.com just launched a self-triage tool for COVID-19 

Aaron Patzer is likely best known as the founder of Mint.com, a personal financial management tool, but today he’s lending his tech expertise to another concern: the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Careful, pharma: Don't pile on the COVID-19 messaging, McCann Health global chief says

McCann Health global CEO John Cahill returned to Hong Kong two weeks ago, just before U.S. airlines shut down most long-haul flights. He’s been working from home since then, talking to clients and McCann employees about the COVID-19 outbreak and what it means for pharma and health communications for both the short and long term.

Embattled Cel-Sci to tackle COVID-19 with immunotherapy platform tech LEAPS

Cel-Sci has formed a research partnership with the University of Georgia’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology to develop a drug candidate for patients at high risk of dying from COVID-19. The collaborators plan to use Cel-Sci's immunotherapy platform to design peptide-based treatments targeting the virus' nucleoprotein, which is critical to its ability to replicate.