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May 07, 2020___

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

UnitedHealth to offer $1.5B in financial support to members, including premium credits

UnitedHealth Group will make more than $1.5 billion in financial assistance available to its members. 

Top Stories

Takeda, CSL-led alliance and NIH to test COVID-19 plasma treatment this summer

Takeda and its plasma-focused peers are wasting no time. One month after joining forces to create an unbranded plasma-based treatment for COVID-19, the partners, along with the NIH, are gearing up for a global clinical trial set to kick off this summer. The study will lay the groundwork for a regulatory submission for the medicine.

GSK taps experimental arthritis antibody to calm the cytokine storm hitting COVID-19 patients

GlaxoSmithKline is hard at work with partner Sanofi in getting a vaccine tested for COVID-19, but this morning it said it was now also entering the race to treat patients already hit with the disease.

Moderna eyes 'early summer' start for phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial

Moderna is finalizing the protocol for a phase 3 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine with a view to starting the study early in the summer. The establishment of the timeline, which follows FDA clearance to run a phase 2 trial, puts Moderna on track to win approval for its mRNA vaccine mRNA-1273 next year.

Pfizer tags 3 U.S. manufacturing sites for possible COVID-19 vaccine launch

Global coronavirus vaccine makers have been rolling out details about their manufacturing and launch plans—even ahead of any clinical data. Now, Pfizer says it will draw on three sites in the U.S., plus one in Belgium, for the early stages of a launch, provided its BioNTech-partnered shot wins a green light.

Healthcare roundup: Oscar, Uno partner on MA financial assistance; HHS awards more than $580M to expand testing

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

Biopharma roundup: Endo withdraws 2020 guidance; Sarepta's Vyondys launch slows

Endo International withdrew its 2020 guidance due to the pandemic and provided other updates about expected effects. Sarepta had a launch hit by the pandemic, while Alnylam lowered its guidance.

GBT chief blames COVID-19 for 'clear' slowdown in Oxbryta launch, but analysts are still impressed

Global Blood Therapeutics' sickle cell disease medicine Oxbryta got off to a hot start after a November FDA approval. But early in its launch, execs now say they're seeing a "clear headwind" from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lately, new patient starts have tanked by 60%, CEO Ted Love said.

Portraits in Healthcare: Intermountain ICU doctor calls COVID-19 'a lonely disease'

Dixie Harris, M.D., shares her experiences during a two-week stretch in the ICU of Southside Hospital in New York as the hospital faced a crush of COVID-19 cases.

Sherlock's quick, CRISPR-based coronavirus test gets emergency nod

The FDA granted its first emergency authorization for a CRISPR-based test for COVID-19, developed by Sherlock Biosciences, designed to turn results around in about an hour compared to the four to six hours needed for other molecular diagnostics.

Dignity Health and Cleveland Clinic among biggest winners of initial round of COVID-19 funding

Dignity Health and Cleveland Clinic were among the hospitals that got the most money from the initial round of COVID-19 funding allocations.

Bristol Myers Squibb's blood thinner Eliquis soars on COVID-19 demand, but Opdivo could suffer: execs

Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Giovanni Caforio credited COVID-19-related stocking for high sales of some products in the first quarter, including Eliquis, a blood thinner that's being snapped up to reduce clotting risk in patients with the virus. But the pandemic has limited access to oncology clinics and other non-COVID-19 services, raising challenges that could impact sales later this year.

Teva generics benefit from COVID-19 bump––but the boom may not last

With its multibillion-dollar restructuring plan in the rearview mirror, Teva is pinning its future growth on two of its branded meds with high hopes. But generics are still central to the Israeli drugmaker's business, and increased demand due to COVID-19 gave Teva a welcome gift in the first three months of the year.

Livongo raises 2020 revenue guidance as use of remote monitoring accelerates

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of virtual care, and companies like Livongo stand to benefit financially. Livongo, a chronic disease management company that has a strong focus on diabetes, reported a 115% jump in first-quarter revenue, increasing from $32 million a year ago to $68.8 million.

PPD latest pandemic victim as it too yanks full-year guidance

The ongoing COVID-19 uncertainty and the impact on its trials has caused PPD to pull its 2020 guidance, like so many other CROs, to try to work its way through the coming financial year.