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Today's Rundown

CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid now scheduling Pfizer vaccine appointments for adolescents
Roche CEO Schwan joins chorus of pharma execs blasting COVID patent waiver
UPDATED Coronavirus tracker: CDC relaxes mask mandates for fully vaccinated
Feds stop sending Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 cocktail to Illinois on concerns of P.1 variant
Merck, GSK and Pfizer vaccines get a boost as CDC lifts two-week restriction on pandemic shots
Plane ticket? Check. Passport? Check. COVID Test? Abbott and United Airlines have it covered
Staring down huge pandemic inspection backlog, FDA lays out 'roadmap' to get back on track
Portable test maker Cue Health nets $235M to pivot back to a post-COVID world
COVID-19 tracker: China backs controversial vaccine IP waiver

Featured Story

CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid now scheduling Pfizer vaccine appointments for adolescents

By Paige Minemyer

Now that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has secured approval to be administered to kids aged 12 to 15, major retail pharmacies are adjusting their policies to make the shots quickly available.

Roche CEO Schwan joins chorus of pharma execs blasting COVID patent waiver

By Noah Higgins-Dunn

Roche CEO Severin Schwan has joined the list of pharma executives rejecting a U.S.-backed measure that would waive patent protections for COVID-19 products, saying in an interview with the Financial Times that the idea is "counterproductive."

UPDATED Coronavirus tracker: CDC relaxes mask mandates for fully vaccinated

By Healthcare Staff

Follow along with the latest COVID-19 news straight from the Fierce Healthcare team.

Feds stop sending Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 cocktail to Illinois on concerns of P.1 variant

By Eric Sagonowsky

Throughout the long pandemic response, pharma companies and federal authorities have at times had to navigate challenges arising from new variants. Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies have largely remained effective, but now authorities are pausing distribution of Eli Lilly’s combo cocktail in one state over concerns of a specific variant.

Merck, GSK and Pfizer vaccines get a boost as CDC lifts two-week restriction on pandemic shots

By Noah Higgins-Dunn

The CDC is doing away with its suggestion that people wait two weeks before or after getting a COVID-19 shot before receiving another vaccine for a different condition, a rule that many Big Pharma players blamed for reducing sales during the first quarter of the year.

Plane ticket? Check. Passport? Check. COVID Test? Abbott and United Airlines have it covered

By Andrea Park

The friendly skies just got a bit more COVID-friendly. A new partnership between United Airlines and Abbott will offer international travelers a much more streamlined approach to obtaining the negative COVID test required to enter the U.S.

Staring down huge pandemic inspection backlog, FDA lays out 'roadmap' to get back on track

By Fraiser Kansteiner

As the pandemic disrupted normal operations last year, the FDA accrued a massive backlog of facility inspections. Now, the agency is laying the groundwork to get its site reviews back on track.

Portable test maker Cue Health nets $235M to pivot back to a post-COVID world

By Conor Hale

The recent Fierce 15 winner attracted new private investments to spin its portable COVID tests into a broader menu of point-of-need diagnostics.

COVID-19 tracker: China backs controversial vaccine IP waiver

By Noah Higgins-Dunn,Kevin Dunleavy,Fraiser Kansteiner

The CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can take off their masks in most indoor and outdoor settings without the need for social distancing. China has backed a controversial proposal to waive patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines. Feds halt shipments of Lilly’s combo cocktail to Illinois amid variant concerns. And more headlines.

COVID-19 Tracker