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Today's Rundown

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Merck CEO Frazier says COVID-19 vaccine hype a 'grave disservice' to the public

By Eric Sagonowsky

Politicians, government officials and pharma executives alike have been predicting a COVID-19 vaccine debut by year's end, but Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier doubts that's possible. Instead, those who are promising vaccines later this year could be hurting the overall fight against the pandemic, he figures.

Providers rush to defend after White House effort to 'discredit' Fauci

By Robert King

Several provider groups blasted the White House for efforts to discredit top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, M.D., amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

3M pairs with MIT to develop a paper-based coronavirus diagnostic test

By Conor Hale

3M is working with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a fast COVID-19 diagnostic using a simple, paper-based test that they hope will be easy to mass produce.

Warp Speed initiative aims for COVID-19 vaccine production within 6 weeks: Reuters

By Kyle Blankenship

The Trump administration has dumped billions into COVID-19 vaccine development and manufacturing as part of its Warp Speed initiative. Now, with vaccine makers moving rapidly toward approval, the administration has high hopes at least one shot candidate will start churning out doses within the next six weeks.

Surescripts teams up with CDC, providers to accelerate COVID-19 case reporting

By Heather Landi

Surescripts has teamed up with public health officials and laboratories to accelerate case reporting on COVID-19 cases. Find out why health IT tools are playing a critical role in efforts to combat the pandemic.

Patients want to keep using virtual care after COVID-19 pandemic ends, survey finds

By Heather Landi

Patients adopted virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic out of necessity but now they want those services to stick around after the health crisis is over. An Accenture survey sheds light on what patients like about communicating with their doctors via telehealth and mobile apps.

AstraZeneca taps IQVIA to 'warp speed' its U.S. pandemic vaccine research

By Ben Adams

Operation Warp Speed is living up to its name as, under the project, one of the COVID-19 vaccine front-runners AstraZeneca is teaming up with life science services company IQVIA to boost its work on the shot.

Biopharma roundup: Merck KGaA picks up COVID manufacturing work; 3M, MIT team for paper-based test

By Eric Sagonowsky, Angus Liu, Kyle Blankenship, Conor Hale, Fraiser Kansteiner

AstraZeneca inked a new deal with IQVIA to leverage its virtual trials technology to speed up U.S. studies of its coronavirus vaccine candidate. FDA scientists pinpointed areas along the virus' 'spike protein' that could trigger a strong antibody response. Plus, analysts think Merck KGaA could reap billions from its pandemic-related manufacturing work.

CVS study: Growing number of providers see value of digital health amid COVID-19

By Paige Minemyer

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, more providers are seeing telehealth as a critical tool to connect with patients, a new survey from CVS Health shows.

Merck KGaA's manufacturing group could see billions from COVID-19 work: analyst

By Eric Sagonowsky

COVID-19 vaccines are moving forward at record speeds, but market watchers have cautioned about the looming manufacturing challenges. Merck KGaA, with its manufacturing services outfit, could see billions of dollars in revenue as it assists certain players with their scale-up, an analyst says.

electroCore’s nerve stimulator authorized for asthma patients facing COVID-19