AstraZeneca finds partners for its vaccine

AstraZeneca announced yesterday that it plans to make and distribute 2 billion doses of the experimental Covid-19 vaccine created by Oxford University, assuming it's effective. The drug maker will work with CEPI and Gavi — which will spend about $750 million to make 300 million doses by the end of the year, as STAT’s Matthew Herper writes.

AstraZeneca is also working with SII, previously known as the Serum Institute of India, to provide 1 billion doses of the vaccine to low- and middle-income countries. The company’s plan previously was to ship 100 million doses to the United Kingdom and 300 million to the U.S.

“We believe we can get the vaccine to hundreds of millions of people around the world, importantly including those in the countries with the lowest income,” AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said. “So our goal is really to not leave anybody behind.”

Discussing systemic racism in biopharma

There's something different today on the latest episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast.

The killing of George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer has brutally underlined the systemic racism that informs policing, housing, education, and health care in the U.S. This podcast covers the world of biotech, which, like every facet of our society, is affected by racism and inequality. So, first, we talk about how the drug industry has responded to Floyd’s killing and what that response means.

Then, we’re joined for a lengthy interview with longtime biotech executive Tony Coles, who is also a founding member of the Black Economic Alliance, a group of business leaders who raise money for candidates and causes. We talk about why Floyd’s killing sparked global action, the relative value of public statements, and what business leaders can do to combat racism.

Listen here. You can also read a transcript of the Tony Coles interview here.

Inovio's Covid-19 lawsuit

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which is developing a Covid-19 vaccine, has filed suit against its contract manufacturer — saying that it’s slowing its efforts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. The manufacturer, VGXI, told Inovio that it doesn’t have the capacity to make more batches of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine. And VGXI won’t give competitors information on how to make Inovio’s product.

“We can’t be held hostage to a single manufacturer,” Inovio chief executive J. Joseph Kim told STAT's Ed Silverman. “It would be one of the greatest tragedies if we have a vaccine that seems to be safe and effective but we don’t have the capacity to manufacture… This is a global public health emergency and for them to stand in the way for their own self-interest, I think, is appalling and egregious.”

Drug prices keep falling for most drugs

Wholesale drug prices for branded drugs are still going up. But the increment by which they are increasing has actually decreased, a new analysis finds.

The first quarter this year, wholesale prices jumped 2.3%, compared to a 3.2% hike during the same time a year ago. The discounts off of wholesale prices reached 50.4% — the steepest cut in a decade, STAT’s Ed Silverman writes.