Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
AstraZeneca Picked A Date For The 'End' Of Pandemic — And When It Will Start Profiting From It
The Hill: AstraZeneca's No-Profit Pledge For Vaccine Has Expiration Date: Report
New documents reveal that AstraZeneca, one of a number of companies currently developing a coronavirus vaccine candidate, has the right to declare the end to the pandemic as soon as July 2021, the Financial Times reports. The British pharmaceutical company has repeatedly promised not to profit from its COVID-19 vaccine “during the pandemic,” but the new documents seem to reveal the company having a target date to declare as the end of the pandemic. (Williams, 10/8)
In other vaccine news —
Stat: Moderna Vows Not To Enforce Patent Rights Related To Covid-19 Vaccine
Amid growing concern over access to Covid-19 medical products, Moderna (MRNA) has decided not to enforce its patent rights related to its experimental vaccine and will also license its intellectual property to any Covid-19 vaccines to others after the pandemic has ended. The decision means other companies or governments should not have concerns that the biotech would seek to prevent other Covid-19 vaccines from being developed based on its technology. (Silverman, 10/8)
CIDRAP: FDA Head: Outside Pressures Won't Rush COVID Vaccine
The decision to authorize and approve a COVID-19 vaccine will be based on data and science—not politics, Stephen Hahn, MD, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said today in a Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) webinar. "We will use science and data to drive those decisions, we will be transparent about those decisions, and we will do everything in our power to prevent anything other than science and data from being involved in those decisions," Hahn said. "That is the promise that we as the FDA, that I as the commissioner of food and drugs, make to the American people." (Van Beusekom, 10/8)
Stat: 7 Looming Questions About The Rollout Of A Covid-19 Vaccine
The race to develop Covid-19 vaccines could well see some Americans vaccinated before the end of 2020 — less than a year after the world first learned a new virus was causing a dangerous new form of pneumonia in China. The design, testing, and mass production of multiple vaccines has never been attempted on this type of timeline, making this moment a turning point in the development of vaccines to respond to new disease threats. (Branswell and Silverman, 10/9)
The Hill: US Could Have Enough COVID-19 Vaccine For Every American By March, Azar Says
There could be enough coronavirus vaccine doses for every American as early as March of 2021. CNBC reports Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar made the projection on Thursday during a keynote speech at the Goldman Sachs Healthcare virtual event on the coronavirus. “We project having enough for every American who wants a vaccine by March to April 2021,” Azar said Thursday according to CNBC. (Guzman, 10/8)
Boston Globe: Boston Research Team Says It Has Enrolled A Diverse Group In Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Study
Research centers studying the various coronavirus vaccines being tested have struggled to enroll nonwhite participants, confronting entrenched distrust of the health care system. But the leader of the team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital says it’s bucking that trend, by recruiting “well over 30 percent” of its enrollees from communities of color. (Freyer, 10/8)
AP: China Joins COVAX Coronavirus Vaccine Alliance
China, which has at least four coronavirus vaccine candidates in the last stage of clinical trials, said Friday it is joining the COVID-19 vaccine alliance known as COVAX. The country signed an agreement with Gavi, the co-leader of the alliance, on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Initially, China did not agree to join the alliance, missing the deadline to join in September. (Wu, 10/9)
