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Today's Rundown

Why did J&J hit pause on its COVID-19 vaccine trial? Stay tuned, execs say
Biopharma roundup: Lilly antibody trial paused over safety concerns as Fujifilm signs on to boost its manufacturing
CVS' Merlo says COVID-19 made case for company's diversification strategy
Takeda-led alliance starts scaling up production of COVID-19 plasma therapy as phase 3 kicks off: report
Roche announces high-throughput antigen lab test, completing its set of COVID-19 diagnostics
Healthcare roundup: IBM Watson launching blockchain 'health pass' to return to public spaces
Walgreens COO says pandemic has been an 'accelerator' for VillageMD plans
Eli Lilly taps Fujifilm to chip in on COVID-19 antibody manufacturing as it awaits FDA's emergency use decision
Johnson & Johnson's immunology, cancer blockbusters deliver Q3 growth—and fuel hopes for 2021

Featured Story

Why did J&J hit pause on its COVID-19 vaccine trial? Stay tuned, execs say

By Amirah Al Idrus

Johnson & Johnson put its late-stage COVID-19 vaccine study on hold because a patient has fallen ill. The pause comes just weeks after the company kicked off the 60,000-patient study and about a month after AstraZeneca suspended its own COVID-19 study for similar reasons.

Biopharma roundup: Lilly antibody trial paused over safety concerns as Fujifilm signs on to boost its manufacturing

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

Just after J&J tapped the brakes on its vaccine trial, Eli Lilly called a halt to its phase 3 antibody test on an undisclosed "safety concern." Meanwhile, the company picked Fujifilm to help manufacture the antibody. Plus, BMS enjoyed unexpected COVID-19 tailwinds on three hematology drugs. And Kernal Bio is looking to the future of mRNA.

CVS' Merlo says COVID-19 made case for company's diversification strategy

By Paige Minemyer

As the coronavirus pandemic hit U.S. shores, CVS Health was in the midst of a major business transformation following its acquisition of Aetna.

Takeda-led alliance starts scaling up production of COVID-19 plasma therapy as phase 3 kicks off: report

By Angus Liu

Takeda, CSL Behring and the rest of the CoVIg Plasma Alliance have started commercial manufacturing of their coronavirus-fighting immunoglobulin drug. But scaling up won't follow the typical pharma process, as Takeda CEO Christophe Weber notes: Because it depends on plasma donations, the company isn't even sure how many doses it can produce.

Roche announces high-throughput antigen lab test, completing its set of COVID-19 diagnostics

By Conor Hale

Roche announced plans to provide an automated antigen test for COVID-19 designed to screen large volumes of people for active infections.

Healthcare roundup: IBM Watson launching blockchain 'health pass' to return to public spaces

By Healthcare Staff

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

Walgreens COO says pandemic has been an 'accelerator' for VillageMD plans

By Tina Reed

In the months after Walgreens announced a $1 billion partnership with VillageMD to build hundreds of primary care clinics next to its retail pharmacy stores, there are still only a few locations in Houston. But that will be changing quickly, said Walgreens' co-Chief Operating Officer Alex Gourlay.

Eli Lilly taps Fujifilm to chip in on COVID-19 antibody manufacturing as it awaits FDA's emergency use decision

By Kyle Blankenship

Just weeks after rolling out interim data on its COVID-19 antibody hopeful, Eli Lilly sent the therapy ahead to the FDA last week for a potential emergency nod. If the antibody crosses the finish line, Lilly can expect a huge surge in demand—and it's bringing in a manufacturing partner to help out.

Johnson & Johnson's immunology, cancer blockbusters deliver Q3 growth—and fuel hopes for 2021

By Eric Sagonowsky

Some still see the doctor's office as a no-go zone as the coronavirus continues to circulate, and clinical trials have endured plenty of pandemic-related speed bumps. Neither of those things is good for a drugmaker. But Johnson & Johnson managed to beat the market on pharma growth in the third quarter—and it feels even better about 2021.

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