Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Gilead Reaches Out To Other Drug Companies As It Tries To Ramp Up Remdesivir Development
Stat: Gilead Signals Steps To Widen Global Access To Remdesivir
Amid questions about access to remdesivir, its treatment for Covid-19, Gilead Sciences (GILD) says it is pursuing several steps, including licensing agreements with several unnamed companies, to ensure the medicine is supplied to countries beyond the U.S. Although details were scant, the drug maker indicated there are plans to issue voluntary licenses with “leading chemical and pharmaceutical” manufacturers to produce remdesivir for Europe, Asia and the developing world through 2022. Similarly, negotiations are under way to issue licenses to several generic drug makers in India and Pakistan in order to supply the drug to developing countries. (Silverman, 5/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Gilead Seeks Deals With Other Drugmakers To Boost Supply Of Covid-19 Drug
Gilead Sciences Inc. said Tuesday it will join with other drugmakers to manufacture and sell its Covid-19 treatment remdesivir outside of the U.S., farming out production of the medicine to ensure supply meets global demand. Gilead said it is in discussions with pharmaceutical- and chemical-manufacturing companies to license the rights to make the drug remdesivir for Europe, Asia and in the developing world through at least 2022. (Walker, 5/5)
Stat: CytoDyn CEO Made $12M On Stock Sale, And Explanation Raises Questions
CytoDyn chief executive Nader Pourhassan’s lucrative sale of company stock was confirmed in a regulatory filing Monday night. His explanation for profiting from the coronavirus epidemic — while urging outside investors to buy — remains a shifting and troubling narrative. (Feuerstein, 5/5)
Bloomberg: Regeneron Covid-19 Antibody Treatment Could Be Available By Fall
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said an experimental antibody treatment for Covid-19 could be available as soon as this fall, an expedited timeline for a drug that’s scheduled to be studied in humans for the first time in June. To meet the fall time line will “depend on a lot of factors,” including whether the treatment works as well as hoped, “and there is obviously a lot of risk,” Regeneron Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos said Tuesday on a conference call with investors. “We’ve sort of done it before but now we are trying to take it to the next level.” (Court, 5/5)
KQED: Can Blood Plasma From Recovered Patients Help Treat COVID-19? UCSF Is Testing It Out
Scientists hope antibodies from the blood of recently recovered patients can help fight off COVID-19 in others. Under the FDA's expanded access authorization, doctors at UCSF have begun treating some of their sickest COVID-19 patients with blood plasma donated from people who have recovered from the virus. (Arcuni, 5/5)
