How strong is the remdesivir supply chain?

So now we know: Remdesivir shows at least some effectiveness against Covid-19. But will Gilead Sciences be able to meet global demand for the antiviral? It’s certainly trying: STAT’s Andrew Joseph reports Gilead currently has about 50,000 treatment courses — and aims to have “multiple millions” by the end of the year.

“We’re going to make sure that access is not an issue with this medicine,” CEO Daniel O’Day said. “This is a global pandemic. There should be no question about our ability to get medicine in the hands of patients.”

The reality is that it's quite difficult to safely churn out large quantities of such drugs, experts say.

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Small biotechs are hurting from Covid-19

The pandemic is crippling early stage biotechs: Although many will have enough cash for the coming year, they’re worried about future financing and the ability to stay afloat, STAT’s Ed Silverman writes.

Companies are compensating by cutting staff, reducing salaries, and downsizing preclinical studies. Only 13% of biotechs have enough money to survive for more than two years, compared to 41% of public companies in that situation.

But just how well does Gilead Sciences’ Covid-19 drug work?

Is politics getting in the way of public health? And who gets the eventual coronavirus vaccine first? We discuss all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast.

First, we break down the latest positive data on remdesivir, Gilead's closely watched treatment for Covid-19. Then, we're joined by former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb for a wide-ranging discussion about reopening the U.S., vaccines for coronavirus, and the politicization of public health.

Listen here.

AstraZeneca gets in on Oxford’s Covid-19

The University of Oxford has one of the most advanced experimental coronavirus vaccines — and British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is swooping in to help manufacture and distribute the inoculation, should it prove safe and effective.

Although AstraZeneca isn’t typically focused on vaccine development, the process of making the Oxford candidate is similar to developing biological drugs as it’s grown in cells, the Wall Street Journal writes.

“Our scale and global footprint will enable us to manufacture this at scale,” said Mene Pangalos, who heads biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca. “How we’ll do that exactly is too soon to tell.”