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Today's Rundown

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine 70% effective, shares fall
Feds to distribute 30K doses of new Regeneron COVID-19 antibody cocktail just approved by FDA
Regeneron, following in Lilly's footsteps, wins FDA emergency nod for COVID-19 antibody cocktail
Merck inks $425M OncoImmune buyout to bag COVID-19 drug
Moderna to file COVID-19 shot for emergency nod in November, with Pfizer rollout pegged for early next month: Slaoui
Healthcare roundup: Ad Council launches $50M vaccine ad blitz
Biopharma roundup: NIH expands testing programs for underserved populations
Sutter Health posts $607M loss in first 9 months of 2020 as COVID-19 impacts finances
AstraZeneca hopes warmer storage needs for COVID-19 vaccine will be an advantage against mRNA competitors
AdventHealth, Berg tap AI technology to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients

Featured Story

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine 70% effective, shares fall

By Nick Paul Taylor

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has achieved 70% efficacy in a late-phase analysis. The 70% figure is an average that masks variation in the performance of two dosing regimens, one of which was found to be 90% effective.

Feds to distribute 30K doses of new Regeneron COVID-19 antibody cocktail just approved by FDA

By Robert King

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that the federal government will distribute 30,000 doses of a new COVID-19 antibody cocktail on Tuesday, a few days after the FDA granted emergency approval.

Regeneron, following in Lilly's footsteps, wins FDA emergency nod for COVID-19 antibody cocktail

By Angus Liu

Regeneron's COVID-19 antibody cocktail, one of the drugs President Donald Trump took after being infected with the virus, has been cleared for emergency use by the FDA in an authorization that's almost identical to that of Eli Lilly's. Despite looming rollout of vaccines, one analyst sees the therapy as a steady $1 billion-plus asset.

Merck inks $425M OncoImmune buyout to bag COVID-19 drug

By Nick Paul Taylor

Merck has struck a deal to buy OncoImmune for its COVID-19 treatment CD24Fc. The $425 million cash acquisition will give Merck control of a fusion protein linked to improvements in clinical status in a phase 3 trial of severe and critical COVID-19 patients.

Moderna to file COVID-19 shot for emergency nod in November, with Pfizer rollout pegged for early next month: Slaoui

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Moderna will file its shot for an emergency nod before November's end, teeing up a review by FDA and CDC expert panels on Dec. 17, Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D., told ABC news. Meanwhile, Pfizer's shot is up for assessment on Dec. 10. Should the vaccines win out, the government hopes to start vaccinating certain members of the public within 48 hours.

Healthcare roundup: Ad Council launches $50M vaccine ad blitz

By Healthcare Staff

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

Biopharma roundup: NIH expands testing programs for underserved populations

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

Moderna plans to submit its vaccine for FDA review before the end of this month, according to Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui, who said agency reviewers would be considering it and Pfizer’s shot through at least mid-December.

Sutter Health posts $607M loss in first 9 months of 2020 as COVID-19 impacts finances

By Robert King

Sutter Health posted a $607 million loss for the first nine months of the year as the system struggles to combat a financial crisis caused by COVID-19.

AstraZeneca hopes warmer storage needs for COVID-19 vaccine will be an advantage against mRNA competitors

By Kyle Blankenship

AstraZeneca is the latest player to unveil early COVID-19 vaccine data, and results seem to show a sizable efficacy gap between its shot and two mRNA-based peers. While its lack of clinical firepower may have left AstraZeneca's shot out in the cold, the vaccine does sport a major advantage in logistics given its much warmer storage needs.

AdventHealth, Berg tap AI technology to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients

By Brian T. Horowitz

AdventHealth has partnered with biotech firm Berg to gain insights on people that have tested positive for COVID-19 and reduce mortality rates from the disease. The organizations will build a patient registry biobank that will allow data scientists to find the best treatments for patients with COVID-19.

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