Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Hints That Remdesivir Works Against Coronavirus A Lot More Tenuous Than Investors Seem To Believe
Bloomberg: Gilead’s Covid-19 Drug Remdesivir Can Hardly Live Up To Hype
The latest round of hype on Covid-19 drugs began Thursday afternoon when Stat News reported on a leaked video discussion about Gilead Sciences Inc’s remdesivir. A Chicago doctor who had tested it on severely ill patients suggested it was working — that most of those who were given the medicine recovered and were discharged. The market is reacting as if the drug were already a commercial hit: Gilead shares have been up as much as 12% in early trading. Investors should be clear about what this report is and isn’t, however. It is a promising anecdote that suggests the drug might be useful. It is also extremely limited information from a small portion of a trial taken out of context. In other words, it’s miles from providing proof that remdesivir cures Covid-19. The story is even further from being a reasonable basis for a multibillion-dollar stock move. (Max Nisen, 4/17)
Los Angeles Times: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Cost You A Small Fortune
Things have gone from bad to worse for Brian Helstien. For a decade, he’s been grappling with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Now he needs surgery for a leaky heart valve. But because his medical network, Kaiser Permanente, like all healthcare providers, is dealing with a tsunami of COVID-19 patients, the Laguna Woods resident has been informed his non-life-threatening ticker trouble is an “elective” procedure. (David Lazarus, 4/21)
Stat: If A Vaccine Quenches Covid-19, What Will Pharma Want In Return?
Make no mistake: The only long-term solution to the Covid-19 pandemic is a safe and effective vaccine. The current focus on identifying effective treatments, while important, serve only as a temporary Band-Aid. We don’t know yet if hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, or any of the other repurposed drugs currently being tested in a blitzkrieg of quickly designed clinical trials are going to work and save lives. It’s highly likely that most of them, if not all of them, will fail or be only marginally helpful. (Stewart Lyman, 4/21)
Stat: Pharma Management During A Crisis: Lessons Learned For Covid-19
When I started working in the biopharma industry 20 or so years ago, I didn’t think I would need to become an expert in crisis management. Yet during the past decade, I have found myself leading the corporate response to three very different existential crises in three different regions. Despite the unique aspects of each situation, they share important commonalities that shed some light on actions and attitudes that can help guide and improve corporate leaders’ response to the coronavirus pandemic, in the United States and globally. (Mahesh Karande, 4/20)
