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Today's Rundown

Not so fast: FDA warns of 'premature' changes to COVID-19 vaccine dosing in clash with Slaoui
Pfizer's CMO Rothenberg hits the exit, handing over the reins to Stanford's Habtezion
Doctor On Demand, Harvard study finds telehealth surge driven by behavioral health, chronic illness visits
FDA puts Altimmune's intranasal COVID-19 vaccine trial on hold
Some doctors are Zooming with improv actors to get better at delivering bad news. Here's why
Color secures $167M to expand from COVID-19 testing into vaccine delivery
Moderna dials up low-end COVID-19 vaccine supply estimate, setting sights on 1B doses in 2021
Biopharma roundup: Mexico OKs AstraZeneca vaccine; Israel authorizes Moderna's
Healthcare roundup: AMA urges social media crack down on vaccine misinfo

Featured Story

Not so fast: FDA warns of 'premature' changes to COVID-19 vaccine dosing in clash with Slaoui

By Angus Liu

Amid concerns over limited COVID-19 vaccine supplies, some have proposed tweaking the shots’ dosing to immunize more people. One suggestion came from none other than U.S. vaccine czar Moncef Slaoui. But the FDA’s stepping forward to dismiss the idea—at least for now.

Pfizer's CMO Rothenberg hits the exit, handing over the reins to Stanford's Habtezion

By Ben Adams

A new year and a new chief medical officer for Big Pharma Pfizer, as Mace Rothenberg announced via Twitter that he’s off to pastures new, with Pfizer tapping Stanford University’s Aida Habtezion to help run its R&D.

Doctor On Demand, Harvard study finds telehealth surge driven by behavioral health, chronic illness visits

By Heather Landi

It's not surprising that the COVID-19 pandemic drove a huge surge in telehealth visits as patients avoided in-person care in favor of remote consultations. But what is unexpected? The growth in telehealth was not fueled by COVID-19 concerns but by visits for behavioral health and chronic illness, according to a new study.

FDA puts Altimmune's intranasal COVID-19 vaccine trial on hold

By Nick Paul Taylor

The FDA has put a planned phase 1 clinical trial of Altimmune’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine on clinical hold. Altimmune attributed the setback to the need for protocol modifications and additional chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) data.

Some doctors are Zooming with improv actors to get better at delivering bad news. Here's why

By Heather Landi

Telling a patient she has cancer over Zoom is not ideal, but it's becoming the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic. Turns out, most doctors aren't good at delivering bad news via telehealth. A new training program uses improv actors to help docs convey compassion to patients, even when they are miles apart.

Color secures $167M to expand from COVID-19 testing into vaccine delivery

By Conor Hale

After gathering multiple emergency authorizations from the FDA last year for COVID-19 testing and self-sampling kits, Color has now raised $167 million in venture capital financing to help scale up its work to larger populations—and expand into the next phase of the pandemic, by supporting digital vaccine logistics.

Moderna dials up low-end COVID-19 vaccine supply estimate, setting sights on 1B doses in 2021

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Moderna Therapeutics is angling to surpass the hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses it’s already pledged to governments worldwide. And, on Monday, the drugmaker signaled that it's inching toward that goal, dialing up its low-end manufacturing predictions for the year.

Biopharma roundup: Mexico OKs AstraZeneca vaccine; Israel authorizes Moderna's

By Eric Sagonowsky,Angus Liu,Kyle Blankenship,Conor Hale,Fraiser Kansteiner

Europe's drug regulator is expected to clear Moderna's shot on Wednesday. Plus, Moderna said it would make at least 600 million vaccine doses this year. Altimmune's intranasal vaccine trial was hit with a clinical hold. And Brazil is hustling to secure syringes for its upcoming vaccination program.

Healthcare roundup: AMA urges social media crack down on vaccine misinfo

By Healthcare Staff

Follow along with the latest COVID-19 news straight from the Fierce Healthcare team.

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