Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Eli Lilly To Shift To Commercial Sales Of Its Covid Antibody Drug
Eli Lilly & Co. said it plans to begin commercial sales of its Covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatment to states, hospitals and other healthcare providers this month, as the federal government’s supply of the drug is nearly depleted. The move marks a shift away from the way Lilly’s drug and most other Covid-19 treatments and vaccines have been distributed in the U.S. It will likely be the first test of whether the vaccines and treatments would remain accessible if shifted to a commercial market. (Armour and Loftus, 8/3)
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to update its guidance for Covid-19 control in the community, including in schools, in the coming days, according to sources familiar with the plan. (Goodman and Cohen, 8/3)
New coronavirus cases fell 9% globally last week while deaths remained stable, according to the latest weekly assessment of the pandemic released Wednesday by the World Health Organization. (8/2)
Our tussle with Covid-19 — after a harrowing introduction and then wave upon wave of infections — seems to have settled into a persistent pattern. It may stay that way for a while. (Joseph, 8/4)
In covid vaccine news —
Three new studies show that recipients of three or four mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses received substantially better protection against infection with the Omicron variant than those who received only two. ... The rate of breakthrough infection was 7% in workers who received four vaccine doses, compared with 20% in the 4,802 of 24,280 participants who received only three. (Van Beusekom, 8/3)
On Dec. 14, 2020, Katie Passaretti, medical director of infection prevention at Atrium Health, became the first person in North Carolina to be vaccinated for COVID-19. (Crumpler, 8/4)
