Newsletter Tool

To view this email as a web page, click here

Today's Rundown

BioNTech hikes COVID-19 vaccine output to 2B doses in 2021—and plans a bigger label, too
Vaccines aren't enough. We need more COVID-19 treatments, too
HHS expands COVID-19 public health emergency until April, preserving key telehealth flexibilities
Genentech CEO says partnerships, speedier trials among pandemic's 'silver linings'
Biden aims to release all available COVID-19 shots in departure from Trump strategy
UHS details impact of fall cyberattack on patient volumes as COVID-19 could impact payer mix
Synairgen's inhaled interferon for COVID-19 enhances short, harmless version of virus entry point: study
Teladoc projects 2020 revenue to reach $1.1B as it expands virtual primary care
Centene's Neidorff says insurer planning for a 'different mix' of care utilization due to COVID-19
Merck KGaA snaps up mRNA manufacturer AmpTec as pandemic vaccines unlock platform's future

Featured Story

BioNTech hikes COVID-19 vaccine output to 2B doses in 2021—and plans a bigger label, too

By Fraiser Kansteiner

BioNTech pitched its latest pandemic battle plan on Monday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference: producing 2 billion doses globally, up from its original 1.3 billion-dose goal. Meanwhile, the Pfizer partner is looking to roll out an expanded list of approvals and a more temperature-stable formulation, too.

Vaccines aren't enough. We need more COVID-19 treatments, too

By Amirah Al Idrus

The two vaccines and multiple therapeutics cleared for emergency use aren't nearly enough to stop COVID-19. We need an arsenal of drugs that work in different ways to attack a complex, multifaceted illness, speakers on a Fierce JPM Week panel said.

HHS expands COVID-19 public health emergency until April, preserving key telehealth flexibilities

By Robert King

HHS has extended for another 90 days the COVID-19 public health emergency set to expire later this month, keeping in place major flexibilities for telehealth.

Genentech CEO says partnerships, speedier trials among pandemic's 'silver linings'

By Carly Helfand

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, things haven’t been all bad—at least, not from the perspective of a major R&D player like Genentech. “There’s an enormous number of silver linings” that have come out of the pandemic, CEO Alexander Hardy said in an interview that aired Monday as part of Fierce JPM Week.

Biden aims to release all available COVID-19 shots in departure from Trump strategy

By Eric Sagonowsky

President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed promised 20 million COVID-19 vaccines administered to Americans by the end of 2020. Halfway into January, only 6.7 million have been. President-elect Biden says he has a plan for speeding it up—and ex-FDA chief Scott Gottlieb approves.

UHS details impact of fall cyberattack on patient volumes as COVID-19 could impact payer mix

By Robert King

Universal Health Services reported a major cyberattack back in late September led to a decline in patient volume due to the outage.

Synairgen's inhaled interferon for COVID-19 enhances short, harmless version of virus entry point: study

By Arlene Weintraub

Interferon increases levels of the cell surface protein ACE2, which serves as the entry point for COVID-19, raising concerns that Synairgen and others developing inhaled interferon-based treatments might ultimately fail. Now, a U.K. team has discovered interferon only raises levels of a short form of ACE2 that may actually be protective.

Teladoc projects 2020 revenue to reach $1.1B as it expands virtual primary care

By Heather Landi

Teladoc expects 2020 revenue to reach $1.1 billion, doubling its 2019 revenue of $553 million, driven by surging demand for virtual care solutions. With early commercial traction, the company is expanding its virtual primary care program this month with multiple partners, including large employers and health plans.

Centene's Neidorff says insurer planning for a 'different mix' of care utilization due to COVID-19

By Paige Minemyer

Centene Corporation CEO Michael Neidorff said the company is expecting care utilization to normalize but is planning for a different mix of services as COVID-19 cases surge.

Merck KGaA snaps up mRNA manufacturer AmpTec as pandemic vaccines unlock platform's future