Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pfizer Begins Vaccine Trial To Combat Lyme Disease
USA Today: Pfizer Launches Lyme Disease Vaccine Trial With French Partner Valneva
If proven safe and effective, the vaccine, currently called VLA15, could be an important tool to stop the tick-borne disease that affects nearly half a million Americans a year. Although many people clear the infection with a course of antibiotics, others suffer for years from lingering symptoms. (Weintraub, 8/8)
In other news from Pfizer —
Stat: Pfizer Tries Another Drug Warranty In Response To Concerns Over High Costs
For only the second time, Pfizer is offering a warranty for a medicine that will cover the cost for any patient or health plan if the medication fails to work, a move that expands an effort to appease concerns about high drug costs. (Silverman, 8/8)
The Washington Post: Cash-Rich Pfizer Snaps Up Global Blood Therapeutics For $5.4 Billion
Pfizer — cash-rich thanks to its coronavirus vaccine — is bringing Global Blood Therapeutics into the fold under a $5.4 billion all-cash deal announced Monday. The acquisition of the maker of Oxbryta, one of the few treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sickle cell disease, is the latest blockbuster deal for the pharmaceutical giant. (Gregg, 8/8)
In earnings updates from Novavax and BioNTech —
The Wall Street Journal: Poor Demand For Its Covid Vaccine Prompts Novavax To Cut Sales Forecast
Novavax Inc. slashed its full-year revenue outlook in half on Monday, citing a lack of demand for its Covid-19 vaccine from an international initiative to vaccinate lower-income countries and delays in winning expanded authorizations in the U.S. Novavax said Monday it now expects 2022 sales between $2 billion and $2.3 billion, down from its previous forecast of $4 billion to $5 billion. (Walker, 8/8)
AP: BioNTech Reports Strong First Half, Expects Demand To Grow
BioNTech, which teamed with Pfizer to develop a powerful COVID-19 vaccine, has reported higher revenue and net profit in the first half of the year and expects demand to grow as it releases updated vaccines to target new omicron strains. The German pharmaceutical company said Monday that revenue hit about 9.57 billion euros ($9.76 billion) in the first six months of 2022, up from nearly 7.36 billion euros in the same period a year earlier. (8/8)
In other news about medical research —
KHN: ‘American Diagnosis’: ‘We Need To Be At The Table’: Native-Led Medical Research Aims To Rebuild Trust
Mending broken trust may be a first step for investigators who want to increase the participation of Native people in medical research. “There’s such a history of extractive research in Indigenous communities, such that ‘research’ and ‘science’ are sometimes dirty words,” said Navajo geneticist and bioethicist Krystal Tsosie. (8/9)
