To view this email as a web page, click here

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Trump administration announces $5B COVID-19 relief funds, future testing requirements for nursing homes

The Trump administration is allocating an additional $5 billion in COVID-19 relief fund to Medicare-certified long-term care facilities and state veteran nursing homes amid growing concerns.

read more

Top Stories

Pfizer, BioNTech's U.S. supply deal price tag leaves room for 'decent' profit on COVID-19 shot: analyst

The Trump administration made a major splash in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine yesterday with its $1.95 billion supply deal for Pfizer and BioNTech's shot. With 100 million doses due in the deal, the two companies stand to turn a profit on the agreement—and that's not such a bad thing, one analyst writes. 

read more

Roche drops hep B antiviral as late-stage pipeline tests 'largely on track' despite COVID-19 disruption

Roche has canned a phase 1 test of a potential hepatitis B antiviral as part of its third-quarter clean-up of unwanted pipeline drugs.

read more

Roche suffers double whammy as biosimilars, COVID-19 joined hands in weak quarter

Roche just suffered its first quarterly sales decline since 2011, no thanks to biosimilars and the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. biosimilar attack on its legacy oncology blockbuster trio was more serious than expected, and growth from newer meds such as Ocrevus, Hemlibra and Tecentriq slowed amid COVID-19 lockdowns.

read more

Pharma deal values plummet 56% as COVID-19 disrupts resources: report

Deal values in the first half of 2020 in pharma and biotech were $7.7 billion and $12.6 billion, respectively, marking a precipitous drop over the previous year, PwC reported. But the firm's analysts say the ingredients are in place for a dealmaking rebound, depending on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

read more

Healthcare roundup: Humana to mail 1M preventative screening tests to members

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

read more

Biopharma roundup: Roche suffers COVID-19 sales hit; Adarza taps lasers to highlight COVID-19 immune response

It will likely take multiple doses of an approved COVID-19 shot to confer immunity, Bill Gates said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the WHO's Mike Ryan warned that vaccinations wouldn't kick off until early 2021. COVID-19 slowdowns hit Roche's quarterly sales. Plus, Adarza Biosystems is using lasers to paint a clear picture of the body's immune response.

read more

Using lasers to paint a high-definition picture of the body’s COVID-19 immune response

A fingerprint on a dirty computer screen can actually illustrate the science at work behind a diagnostic technology for examining the body’s wider immune response to the novel coronavirus.

read more

Novavax execs in line for $100M-plus in options just for getting COVID vaccine to phase 2

Maryland biotech Novavax has seen its reputation soar in recent weeks with a major U.S. investment in its early-stage COVID-19 vaccine hopeful. For Novavax's leadership, a step into phase 2 testing would mean a massive stock payout at the company's pumped-up share price—and the shot doesn't even need to cross the FDA finish line.

read more

CGT Catapult nabs $127M in U.K. funding to gear up for large-scale COVID vaccine production

U.K.-funded CGT Catapult scored $127 million to expand its Essex vaccine manufacturing and innovation center. The company is also gearing up to open a rapid deployment site that will produce COVID-19 vaccines for the country as soon as a shot is approved.

read more