STAT Plus: Pharmalittle: White House signs deal for U.S.-made generics to fight Covid-19; Gilead expands remdesivir donations
Rise and shine, another brand new day is here. Thanks to a sunny sky and some cool breezes, we are finding it easy enough to deflect the chaos and concern permeating the world around us. A few quizzical looks from our official mascot — a challenging, but fast-growing source of amusement — also helps. Meanwhile, the time has come for the usual rituals — firing up the coffee kettle and foraging for items of interest. Speaking of which, here are a few. Hope your day is productive and safe. And of course, do keep in touch. …
The Trump administration signed a $354 million four-year contract with Phlow, a new company in Richmond, Va., to make generic drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients needed to treat Covid-19, which are now made overseas, mostly in India and China, The New York Times says. The contract meshes President Trump’s “America First” promises with concerns that coronavirus treatments be made in the U.S. It may be extended for up to $812 million over 10 years, making it one of the largest awards by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
President Trump said he is taking hydroxychloroquine, a decades-old malaria drug, to protect against Covid-19, despite warnings from his own government that it should only be administered in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects, the Associated Press informs us. Trump, who said he had been taking the drug for “about a week and a half,” has spent weeks pushing the tablet as a potential cure or prophylaxis for Covid-19 against the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals.
AstraZeneca (AZN) is in talks with international organizations and governments around the world to strike coronovirus vaccine-production deals similar to one it struck with the U.K. over the weekend, Reuters notes. The organizations include the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. The deal announced on Sunday will see AstraZeneca manufacture up to 30 million doses by September as part of a commitment to deliver 100 million doses in total for people in the U.K.
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