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Today's Rundown

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Pfizer urged to hold off on coronavirus vaccine until late November: report

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and his vaccine partner BioNTech have said the companies expect phase 3 data by the end of October—and that an FDA application could follow. But more than 60 researchers and bioethicists urged the partners to wait for more safety data before submitting their shot for a green light, Bloomberg reports.

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Top Stories

More than 1,700 U.S. healthcare workers have died from COVID-19, nurses' union says

More than 1,700 healthcare workers have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to a new report from one of the largest nurses' unions in the country. 

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As Johnson & Johnson kick-starts phase 3 COVID-19 test, early data show up its promise

Johnson & Johnson has posted an early peek at its phase 1/2 trial data for its pandemic vaccine hopeful that last week started late-stage tests.

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'Red flag': New info on HHS' coronavirus ad campaign triggers renewed outcry

A massive ad campaign designed to quell Americans’ coronavirus fears before the November election faced new criticism as details about the $300 million effort leaked. B-list celebrity involvement, funding shenanigans and political undertones raise “every red flag I could dream of," one ex-HHS official told Politico.

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Biopharma roundup: Inovio's vaccine trial slapped with partial clinical hold; Covaxx kicks off phase 1 trial of multitope shot hopeful

The FDA hit Inovio's phase 2/3 vaccine trial with a partial hold. Covaxx kicked off a phase 1 trial of its multitope vaccine hopeful in Taiwan. CapsoVision got the OK to market its endoscope pill for home use during the pandemic. Plus, Warp Speed has more military officials at the helm than civilian scientists, Stat reported.

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Healthcare roundup: Blue Cross NC to send members $200M in health, wellness retail cards

Follow along with the latest COVID-19 news straight from the Fierce Healthcare team.

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One in 3 parents don't plan on having kids vaccinated against seasonal flu this year, poll finds

The poll results come amid growing concerns of new surges in COVID-19 cases just as the U.S. heads into the fall season when influenza cases traditionally pick up.

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Inovio's shares wilt as COVID-19 vaccine runs into FDA hold

The FDA slapped a partial clinical hold on the phase 2/3 study of Inovio’s COVID-19 vaccine because it has “additional questions” about the trial, the company revealed on Monday. The hold is not a response to side effects seen in a phase 1 study of the vaccine and so, will not affect that trial, nor any of Inovio's other work.

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Fierce Biotech's 2020 Fierce 15

Whilst COVID-19 consumes our minds and the current budgets of the world, cancer will still develop and kill; genetic abnormalities will create rare diseases with no treatment; millions will still die from influenza. This year, we’ve chosen from a diverse range of those fighting COVID, as well as those fighting longer term plagues against our biology.

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Hep B player Aligos Therapeutics wants to go public with a $100M IPO, COVID-19 drug plans

Oligonucleotide-focused biotech Aligos Therapeutics is shooting for a $100 million IPO to help drive its early work on a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B as well as COVID-19.

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FDA gives OK for home use of CapsoVision's endoscopic camera pill

CapsoVision—maker of an ingestible camera pill for scanning the inside of a person’s gastrointestinal tract—has received word from the FDA that they may offer their device for fully remote, at-home use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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