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April 22, 2020___

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

HHS: Here's how remaining $70B in COVID-19 funding will be distributed to providers

The Trump administration has laid out a plan for how to disperse the remaining $70 billion to providers struggling financially due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Top Stories

COVID-19 antibody testing 'a disaster,' says Roche CEO, as diagnostics sales rise

The current state of antibody testing for COVID-19 is “a disaster,” said Roche CEO Severin Schwan, as a large number of potentially inaccurate tests enter the market fueled by sky-high demand.

Pfizer and new partner BioNTech nab approval to start closely watched COVID-19 vax trial

Pfizer has been granted approval in partner BioNTech’s native country Germany to kick-start a phase 2 test of their experimental mRNA vaccine for COVID-19.

A physician exec was trying to secure PPE for his hospital. Then the feds showed up

As Andrew Artenstein, M.D., put it, the adventure of securing adequate protective equipment at Baystate Health would have made for an entertaining tale at a cocktail party. That is, it would have been entertaining had the mission not been so critical, the chief physician officer wrote in a letter published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine.

BARDA loses leader in middle of race to create COVID-19 vaccine

The U.S. agency leading efforts to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 has lost its leader. Rick Bright, a vaccine specialist, is moving to a new role in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at a time when his former employer is scrambling to help biopharma make a COVID-19 prophylactic available.

Hydroxychloroquine takes another hit in failed small-scale COVID-19 study

Antimalarial hydroxychloroquine has raked in support as a potential wonder drug to treat COVID-19, with even President Donald J. Trump touting it as a possible "game changer." But small-scale studies have been less than definitive on the drug's chances—and new data haven't cleared matters up much.

Biopharma tracker: Abbott discloses false negatives; Roche CEO slams antibody tests; CDC chief warns of tough 2nd wave

Amid a push to increase testing, Abbott warned about false negatives for its rapid diagnostic. Roche CEO Severin Schwan called current antibody testing a "disaster." Pfizer and its partner scored approval for a phase 2 vaccine trial.

Healthcare roundup: Senators press CMS for ACO mulligan; Birx warns nursing homes still seeing outbreaks

FierceHealthcare's ongoing coverage of how the coronavirus is impacting the healthcare industry.

Biogen execs outline setbacks, and potential gains, from COVID-19 pandemic

Biogen may be the biopharma company whose employees have been most intimately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from dozens of illnesses the drugmaker had to work through in recent months, its first-quarter numbers outline the many ways the pandemic can affect a drugmaker's financial performance.

How EHR giant Epic stood up technology for field hospitals in 2 weeks

A typical hospital EHR project can take at least a year. A team at Epic has been able to stand up technology at a field hospital in a COVID hot spot in a matter of days. The key is to get creative, said Epic executive Nick Frenzer. Find out how the company has helped health systems to expand bed capacity amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Roche's COVID-19 hopeful Actemra soars amid pandemic as Lucentis, Ocrevus falter

At first glance, Roche’s business has been steady during the COVID-19 crisis. But below the surface, executives still warn of volatilities, though not all of them are bad.

COVID-19 lockdown in India hub leaves pharmas scrambling to keep up supply

With a major Indian production hub now locked down in a COVID-19 containment zone, the spotlight on pharma's emerging markets suppliers will likely shine even hotter. 

Enforcement of interoperability rules to be relaxed to ease burden on providers

Federal policymakers are relaxing enforcement of recently released data sharing rules and extending compliance timelines for some requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out how the compliance timelines have changed.

PPD unit launches patient-transfer trial program to help ease pandemic cancellations

PPD’s trial network unit Accelerated Enrollment Solutions (AES) is rolling out a new program designed to help biopharmas keep their clinical trials going.

Pfizer promotes prescription drug help and the power of science in new TV ads aimed at COVID-19 concerns

In new TV ads, Pfizer is tackling two key concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first commercial addresses how people struggling with unemployment or insurance loss can get help paying for prescription medicines, while the second tackles the uncertainty and anxiety many people feel right now, assuring viewers that “science will win.”