August 28, 2020

President Trump announces a $750 million deal with Abbott Laboratories for 150 million of the newly authorized 15-minute rapid tests, a federal purchase that vaults the company’s product to the center of the national testing strategy. The Intercept reports that drug companies continue to operate under liability shields for rushed coronavirus treatments and vaccines, with at least 120 candidates in development worldwide and each one carrying its own potential for harm. The Washington Post reports that Moderna failed to disclose federal government funding in its vaccine patent applications, a gap that raises questions about the public’s stake in a product developed with taxpayer money.

The FDA broadens its emergency authorization for remdesivir to include all hospitalized patients, despite the drug’s modest clinical benefit. A National Geographic piece notes that while no single drug is a “game-changer,” improved standard of care appears to be reducing death rates, a finding that gets less attention than the search for a pharmaceutical silver bullet. New data from Nature quantifies how sharply risk increases with age and male sex, confirming patterns observed since the outbreak began.