Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS, Regeneron Release Details Of Operation Warp Speed Contracts
NPR: HHS Released More Coronavirus Vaccine Contracts As Election Results Unfolded
While the country was focused on the outcome of the election Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services released a trove of new Operation Warp Speed documents. The newly released contracts include the crash program's $1 billion agreement with Johnson & Johnson, which was issued through a third-party firm and lacks some customary protections against potential future price-gouging. (Lupkin, 11/8)
NPR: Federal Supply Deal For COVID-19 Antibody Treatment Lacks Some Customary Protections
Regeneron, maker of the experimental coronavirus antibody treatment President Trump received, released on Thursday its $450 million federal contract to supply up to 300 million doses of the medicine to the government for national distribution. The contract, which the government hasn't made public, includes weaker than usual protections for taxpayers' interests. Drug policy experts said that could make it more difficult for the government to restrain pricing if Regeneron were to engage in price gouging down the road. (Lupkin, 11/6)
Stat: Lucrative Federal Contract For Regeneron Lacks Usual Taxpayer Protections
A $450 million federal contract that calls for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) to supply its Covid-19 treatment contains weaker than usual protections for taxpayers. And consumer advocates complain the agreement could make it harder for the U.S. government to constrain pricing should the drug maker attempt to engage in price gouging. (Silverman, 11/6)
And other developments in the search for a COVID vaccine —
Fox News: Aspirin Being Tested In Coronavirus Patients For Potential Treatment
A common painkiller is being tested as a potential treatment for hospitalized coronavirus patients to see if it reduces the risk of blood clots, according to researchers. Aspirin, a known blood thinner, will be given to patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial in the U.K., according to a news release. The researchers plan to give aspirin to about 2,000 patients in the trial in addition to standard-of-care treatment. The results will be compared with 2,000 patients who only receive standard-of-care treatment and assess for mortality after 28 days, as well as the impact on hospital stay and need for ventilation. (Hein, 11/7)
Stat: Humanigen Touts Analysis Of Drug, But Experts See Inappropriate Disclosure
Humanigen, a small company whose stock has more than quadrupled this year because of hopes about its potential treatment for Covid-19, said Friday that the drug is performing well in a clinical trial and that it has begun a research partnership with Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government’s effort to speed the development of Covid drugs and vaccines. But two experts in clinical trial statistics say that they do not think Humanigen’s claims about its drug’s effectiveness are appropriate — and that the company should not have any knowledge about the efficacy of the drug in the ongoing study at all. (Herper, 11/6)
KHN: Search For A Snakebite Drug Might Lead To A COVID Treatment, Too
Dr. Matthew Lewin, founder of the Center for Exploration and Travel Health at the California Academy of Sciences, was researching snakebite treatments in rural locations in preparation for an expedition to the Philippines in 2011. The story of a renowned herpetologist from the academy, Joseph Slowinski, who was bitten by a highly venomous krait in Myanmar and couldn’t get to a hospital in time to save his life a decade earlier, weighed on the emergency room doctor. (Robbins, 11/9)
ABC News: Why A Vaccine Distribution Plan Is Key To Saving The US From COVID-19
Early in April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top United States infectious disease expert, said that inability to quickly and efficiently test for COVID-19 was a failure early on. Now, months into the pandemic, what's holding us back is the lack of a working vaccine and an effective vaccine distribution plan. (Bhatt and Collins, 11/9)
Stat: How Should People Of Color Get Priority For A Covid-19 Vaccine?
As the U.S. edges closer to approving a vaccine for Covid-19, a difficult decision is emerging as a central issue: Should people in hard-hit communities of color receive priority access to it, and if so, how should that be done? (St. Fleur, 11/9)
