Hello, everyone, and how are you this morning? Another balmy day is unfolding here on the Pharmalot campus where the short person is sleeping in and the official mascot, as always, is scavenging for things to chew. As for us, we are turning to cups of hot stimulation as we mull over our to-do list. Meanwhile, we have assembled another laundry list of interesting items to help you along. So here is to a productive day. Hope you succeed, and, of course, do stay in touch. …
The National Institutes of Health may own intellectual property that undergirds a leading Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Moderna (MRNA), according to documents obtained by Axios and an analysis from Public Citizen. The documents suggest that the U.S. government has an actual stake in the vaccine and could try to make the vaccine a free or low-cost public good with wide distribution, if the product turns out to be safe and effective.
After preliminary release of a study found that a cheap steroid reduced deaths by a third in hospitalized Covid-19 patients, hospitals across the U.S. saw a surge in demand for the drug, and there is a shortage of several injectable versions, STAT tells us. Specifically, hospital orders for dexamethasone, a commonly used and inexpensive corticosteroid, spiked 183% on June 16, when study researchers released top-line data. And the rate at which orders were able to be filled and shipped to hospitals plummeted from 97% to just 54% by June 19.
About the Author Reprints
