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Today's Rundown

Operation Warp Speed expects to distribute 6.4M COVID-19 doses 24 hours after FDA approval
AstraZeneca probes 'mistake' behind 90% COVID-19 vaccine efficacy
Moderna, EU clinch supply deal for 160M doses of mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine
'My hospital is a hot mess.' Nurses plead for more PPE, safety measures amid COVID-19 surges
Russia posts 91% efficacy for COVID-19 vaccine after jumping the gun to approval
Iowa State taps device maker Zeteo for early work on nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine
Twist Bioscience's COVID-19 'nanobodies,' inspired by llamas, show promise in hamsters
Biopharma roundup—AstraZeneca eyes speedy European shot approval
UPMC posts $277M operating income in first 9 months on back of strong insurance business
GE Healthcare's new chest X-ray AI double-checks ventilator tube placement in COVID-19 patients
RB brand Mucinex hopes to hype doctors with new push for online ratings

Featured Story

Operation Warp Speed expects to distribute 6.4M COVID-19 doses 24 hours after FDA approval

By Robert King

Operation Warp Speed shared its plans to distribute the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with a goal of getting out 6.4 million doses 24 hours after the first candidate gets FDA approval.

AstraZeneca probes 'mistake' behind 90% COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

By Nick Paul Taylor

AstraZeneca is looking into why the accidental use of a half-dose primer vaccine appears to make its COVID-19 regimen more effective. The half-dose was given to some participants due to an error but is now AstraZeneca’s best hope of delivering efficacy comparable to mRNA vaccines.

Moderna, EU clinch supply deal for 160M doses of mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine

By Kyle Blankenship

With two leading mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines racing toward approvals, nations are looking to secure enough doses to get the winning shot—or shots—into patients' arms as soon as possible. To that end, the EU has finally minted a deal with Moderna for an initial supply.

'My hospital is a hot mess.' Nurses plead for more PPE, safety measures amid COVID-19 surges

By Tina Reed

A group of nurses who are part of the nursing union National Nurses United painted a stark picture Monday of the challenges they are facing amid new COVID-19 surges.

Russia posts 91% efficacy for COVID-19 vaccine after jumping the gun to approval

By Amirah Al Idrus

Russia shocked the world in August when it approved a COVID-19 vaccine based on early data, leapfrogging global vaccine players like Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Now, the vaccine’s maker is reporting data from nearly 19,000 people showing it is more than 90% effective.

Iowa State taps device maker Zeteo for early work on nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine

By Fraiser Kansteiner

The Nanovaccine Institute at Iowa State University says it’s developing a next-generation nasal spray vaccine for COVID-19, recently tapping drug delivery specialist Zeteo Biomedical to lend it support. Zeteo will provide its nasal delivery device tech and technical services to help assess the nanovaccine, designed for stability without the need for refrigeration.

Twist Bioscience's COVID-19 'nanobodies,' inspired by llamas, show promise in hamsters

By Angus Liu

Single-domain antibodies, or “nanobodies,” inspired by llamas, have been proposed as potential treatments for COVID-19. Twist Bioscience has two such candidates that the company plans to develop as nasal sprays, and they've shown early promise in animal models.

Biopharma roundup—AstraZeneca eyes speedy European shot approval

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

AstraZeneca never meant to test a half-dose primer of its vaccine, EVP Mene Pangalos told Reuters. Pfizer's reputation has improved on its strong shot data, a recent poll found. GE Healthcare launched an AI algorithm to support correct placement of ventilator tubes. And two Twist nanobodies prevented weight loss in coronavirus-infected hamsters.

UPMC posts $277M operating income in first 9 months on back of strong insurance business

By Robert King

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center posted operating revenue of $277 million for the first nine months of 2020, as the system reported a rebounding of patient volume to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

GE Healthcare's new chest X-ray AI double-checks ventilator tube placement in COVID-19 patients

By Conor Hale

GE Healthcare has launched a new algorithm that can read X-rays and help assess the correct placement of ventilator tubes in patients under critical care.

RB brand Mucinex hopes to hype doctors with new push for online ratings

By Beth Snyder Bulik

Reckitt Benckiser’s Mucinex latest campaign encourages people to rate their doctors. The cold and flu brand asks people to be an “ally of doctors” and say thank you to healthcare providers by posting an online review. RB partnered with Healthgrades.com to set up a dedicated page and will roll out digital and social ads to drive people to the site.

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