Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drugmaker Begins Testing Stage For First Medicine Derived From Antibodies From COVID Patient
The Wall Street Journal: Eli Lilly Begins Testing Covid-19 Drug Derived From Blood Of Survivor
Eli Lilly & Co. said Monday it began the first study of an experimental drug derived from a blood sample of an early U.S. survivor of Covid-19, a new effort to take advantage of the molecular defenses developed by recovered patients. The Indianapolis company said the testing aims to assess the drug’s potential to treat patients hospitalized with the coronavirus. (Loftus, 6/1)
Stat: Eli Lilly Begins First Human Tests Of An Antibody Drug Against Covid-19
The medicine, a human-made antibody against the coronavirus that causes the disease, was discovered by a Vancouver company, AbCellera, and is being developed by Eli Lilly, the Indianapolis-based drug giant. Two other efforts, one from the biotechnology firm Regeneron and another from the partnership of Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline, are expected to begin testing of their own antibody drugs soon. Lilly’s current study will only test the drug for obvious side effects, giving it to 32 people at various doses. (Herper, 6/1)
Stat: Industry Group Backs Use Of Horseshoe Crab Blood To Test Drugs
After a lengthy review, the organization that sets manufacturing standards for drug makers will keep a decades-old test — derived from horseshoe crabs — as its go-to tool for detecting contamination in medicines and vaccines, rather than recommending that drug makers switch to a synthetic alternative. The decision centers around endotoxin tests, which are used to detect bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs and vaccines, among other products. But controversy over the ongoing supply of horseshoe crabs — whose blood is used for reagents — and a battle between two of the biggest test suppliers prompted the U.S. Pharmacopeia to review its standards. (Silverman, 6/1)
Reuters: Wildlife Groups Pressure Big Pharma To Curb Crab Blood Addiction
Fishermen net hundreds of thousands of the creatures off the U.S. East Coast and Asia every year, draining their prized milky-blue blood for use in medical safety tests that detect bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs or implants. The National Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife and other groups called for greater use of a man-made option, called recombinant Factor C (rFC), in a statement released on Monday by umbrella organization the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition. (Miller, 6/1)
CNN: Moderna's Coronavirus Vaccine Announcement Set Off A Frenzy On Wall Street. Now Some Are Calling For An Investigation
Moderna set off a frenzy on Wall Street earlier this month when it announced positive, preliminary results from its coronavirus vaccine trial. As the hype grew, the young biotech company and its leading investor wasted no time capitalizing on the briefly surging stock price. Even as critics accused Moderna of overhyping the results released on May 18, a series of transactions were executed before its share price fizzled over the next week. The timing of those deals, former SEC officials said, appear to be "highly problematic" and should be investigated for potential illegal market manipulation. (Egan and Kuznia, 6/1)
Stat: Hydroxychloroquine Debate Spills Into Congressional Campaigns
Five months ahead of the general election, Democrats are escalating their attacks against Republicans over the use of a malaria drug to treat Covid-19, dragging a highly polarized medical debate even further into the political realm. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in recent weeks has vocally criticized two GOP incumbents and two challengers for echoing President Trump’s enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine in March and April. Joe Biden, Trump’s presumptive Democratic challenger, has seized on the president’s remarks, calling his hydroxychloroquine advocacy “totally irresponsible” after the president announced he was taking the drug as a preventive measure. (Facher, 6/2)
Reuters: South Korea Expects Human Trials Of Celltrion's Potential COVID-19 Treatment In Europe
South Korea expects clinical trials of Celltrion Inc’s experimental COVID-19 treatment to begin in Europe next month and aims to secure sizable supplies of the drug by the first half of next year, a senior health official said on Tuesday. Drugmakers worldwide are rushing to develop treatments for the flu-like illness caused by the new coronavirus that has killed more than 374,000 globally since it first emerged late last year in China. (6/2)
