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Today's Rundown

Trump accuses FDA of playing politics with last-minute COVID-19 plasma delay
CureVac in 'advanced' talks with EU to supply 225M coronavirus vaccine doses
Emanuel outlines approach he'd take for distributing initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Biopharma roundup: J&J plots 60,000-patient vaccine trial for September; Regeneron eyes hiring for antibody production push
FDA authorizes its 3rd coronavirus antigen test to help meet high demand
Blues plans offering 2nd round of refunds to members amid COVID-19
AI's hunt for the molecule to stop COVID-19
Nearly one-third of parents plan to keep kids home this fall even if schools reopen: survey
Providence St. Joseph posts $538M loss in the first half of the year due to COVID-19
GlaxoSmithKline debuts DTC campaign for Shingrix amid COVID-19-related vaccination dive

Featured Story

Trump accuses FDA of playing politics with last-minute COVID-19 plasma delay

By Ben Adams

As the months tick down before the November election, President Donald Trump is seemingly under increasing pressure to find vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

CureVac in 'advanced' talks with EU to supply 225M coronavirus vaccine doses

By Eric Sagonowsky

Officials in Europe have engaged some of the world's largest biopharma companies in COVID-19 vaccine supply talks, but now Germany’s CureVac is moving into advanced supply negotiations with the union. The deal, which is contingent on the vaccine succeeding in testing, would potentially allow for the purchase of 405 million doses.

Emanuel outlines approach he'd take for distributing initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine

By Robert King

Former Obama administration policy adviser Ezekiel Emanuel said distributing a vaccine to front-line healthcare workers first may not be the best approach.

Biopharma roundup: J&J plots 60,000-patient vaccine trial for September; Regeneron eyes hiring for antibody production push

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

J&J pegged a September start for its phase 3 vaccine trial, with a whopping 60,000 participants. A watchdog called on Congress to ban emergency OKs for COVID vaccines. The FDA approved a new antibody test, and Regeneron aims to staff up for its antibody manufacturing push.

FDA authorizes its 3rd coronavirus antigen test to help meet high demand

By Conor Hale

The FDA has authorized its third antigen test for the novel coronavirus, designed to provide fast and cost-efficient results at the point of care and in community settings.

Blues plans offering 2nd round of refunds to members amid COVID-19

By Paige Minemyer

Some Blues plans are making millions in additional premium assistance available to members and employer clients.

AI's hunt for the molecule to stop COVID-19

By Conor Hale

AI is very good at finding patterns within very large data sets, but for a disease like COVID-19, where should drug developers start?

Nearly one-third of parents plan to keep kids home this fall even if schools reopen: survey

By Heather Landi

School districts across the country are implementing policies to help safely reopen schools in the fall. But for many parents, it's not enough to alleviate their fears about the spread of the virus. A new survey published in JAMA Pediatrics sheds light on parents' concerns and what school districts, policymakers and doctors can do to help.

Providence St. Joseph posts $538M loss in the first half of the year due to COVID-19

By Robert King

Providence St. Joseph posts $538 million loss in first half of 2020 due to volume declines and increased costs because of COVID-19.

GlaxoSmithKline debuts DTC campaign for Shingrix amid COVID-19-related vaccination dive

By Beth Snyder Bulik

GlaxoSmithKline has officially launched its first DTC campaign for shingles vaccine Shingrix. Its pitch? No matter how healthy or active older adults are, the varicella virus doesn't care. The reality-check message comes as GSK's supply of the vaccine is plentiful for the first time since its 2017 launch.

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