Newsletter Tool

To view this email as a web page, click here

Today's Rundown

Pfizer's much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine data have yet to materialize. Can it still roll out this year?
Lilly's COVID-19 antibody fails trial in hospitalized patients
HCA's CEO Hazen offers glimpse into health system's expectations for 2021
Merck looks ahead to a COVID-19 drug and vaccine—and a Gardasil recovery—as pandemic takes a $2.5B toll
New Merck TV ad reminds parents that preteen doctor visits can't wait
Centene's Neidorff: Plan enrollment 'a swinging variable' amid pandemic
Biopharma roundup: Merck expects pandemic to take $2.5B toll on 2020 sales
Healthcare roundup: CVS offering tool for at-home contact lens renewal
Cosentyx's first $1B quarter marred by COVID-19 drag, but Novartis still chalks up gains
Indian drugmaker Cadila looks for outside production boost for COVID-19 vaccine: report
Lilly's Trulicity slips as COVID-19 insurance changes trigger price declines
Covance starting to rebound, but clinical trial business still being hit by COVID-19
Spectrum's Rolontis hits another setback as FDA faces COVID-19 plant inspection backlog

Featured Story

Pfizer's much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine data have yet to materialize. Can it still roll out this year?

By Kyle Blankenship

With a bold prediction that interim data on its COVID-19 shot would be in the public's hands by October, all eyes have been on Pfizer and CEO Albert Bourla. But with just days to go before November, those data still aren't available—and Pfizer is holding on to hope that it can still roll out the shot by year-end.

Lilly's COVID-19 antibody fails trial in hospitalized patients

By Nick Paul Taylor

The NIH has scrapped a clinical trial of Eli Lilly’s anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Investigators stopped enrolling patients in the study after finding LY-CoV555 is unlikely to improve outcomes in the studied patient population.

HCA's CEO Hazen offers glimpse into health system's expectations for 2021

By Tina Reed

Looking ahead from what's been a turbulent 2020, HCA's CEO Samuel Hazen offered a look at the health system's projections for 2021.

Merck looks ahead to a COVID-19 drug and vaccine—and a Gardasil recovery—as pandemic takes a $2.5B toll

By Tracy Staton

As a pandemic-related decline in doctor visits cut into Gardasil revenue and even dulled the edge on megablockbuster cancer med Keytruda, Merck has advanced two potential COVID-fighting products—an oral antiviral and a vaccine. And, ironically enough, it’s collecting a hefty COVID-19 boost from its holdings in rival vaccine producer Moderna.

New Merck TV ad reminds parents that preteen doctor visits can't wait

By Sharon Klahr Coey

Merck’s latest awareness campaign reminds parents to keep up on their preteen children's wellness exams. The TV spot features kids being kids—creating art, taking selfies, playing an instrument and singing to music with headphones on—and though the pandemic isn't mentioned, it's not tough to fill in the blank.

Centene's Neidorff: Plan enrollment 'a swinging variable' amid pandemic

By Robert King

Centene Corporation earned $568 million in profit in the third quarter, a huge boost compared to its third-quarter 2019 earnings of $95 million.

Biopharma roundup: Merck expects pandemic to take $2.5B toll on 2020 sales

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

It's unlikely that Pfizer will meet its October data readout goal. Nektar got the OK to run a phase 1b on its cancer med in mild COVID-19 patients. Merck hopes its COVID-fighting efforts and drug sales recoveries will right the ship in 2021.

Healthcare roundup: CVS offering tool for at-home contact lens renewal

By Healthcare Staff

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

Cosentyx's first $1B quarter marred by COVID-19 drag, but Novartis still chalks up gains

By Angus Liu

Novartis was hit hard by COVID-related slowdowns in the second quarter. While the Swiss drugmaker has since turned for the better, its skin and eye businesses are still feeling the burn. Cosentyx celebrated its first blockbuster quarter, for instance, but it still fell short of expectations as fewer dermatology patients sought treatment.

Indian drugmaker Cadila looks for outside production boost for COVID-19 vaccine: report

By Kyle Blankenship

As some of the biggest players in the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine prepare for pivotal data readouts in the coming months, smaller drugmakers are working hard to get their own less-heralded candidates across the finish line. One of those players, India's Cadila, hopes to snare an outside partner to quickly scale up production of its shot.

Lilly's Trulicity slips as COVID-19 insurance changes trigger price declines

By Eric Sagonowsky

Like all major companies, Lilly is weathering challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. And while the drugmaker has reason to be optimistic about the future, for the present, one key medicine is lagging expectations.

Covance starting to rebound, but clinical trial business still being hit by COVID-19

By Ben Adams

Covance made headlines last week when its parent company LabCorp announced it was set to transform the CRO into a digital trial-based firm.

Spectrum's Rolontis hits another setback as FDA faces COVID-19 plant inspection backlog