Pfizer expects higher COVID-19 vaccine prices and yearly boosters, CFO says. And that means big sales long-term
by Eric Sagonowsky
FiercePharma.com – Pfizer made headlines last month when its chief financial officer said the company would look to raise COVID-19 vaccine prices after the pandemic wanes. The company is doubling down on that stance, and it now believes annual vaccinations are “increasingly likely.”
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Fauci: U.S. needs to boost vaccinations to stay ahead in race against COVID-19 variants
By Robert King
FierceHealthcare.com — Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, M.D., said the challenge the U.S. faces in its fight against COVID-19 is vaccinating enough people to stay ahead of more infectious variants of the virus.
Fauci was among the officials that testified Thursday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on the state of the fight against the pandemic.
Fauci said the country is doing a “good job now of up to 2 to 3 million vaccinations per day.”
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Overworked, understaffed: Pharmacists say industry in crisis puts patient safety at risk
By Adiel Kaplan, Vicky Nguyen and Mary Godie
NBCNews.com – From the moment Marilyn Jerominski walks into her pharmacy every morning, her time is in demand. As pharmacy manager of a busy 24-hour Walgreens in Palm Desert, California, she is responsible for the safety and accuracy of the thousands of prescriptions the store dispenses every week.
“There’s so much stress,” Jerominski said. “You’re not only running to the drive-thru but to the front, to the vaccination station to give a vaccination, then to the phone. … It’s almost impossible for any human to keep that momentum day in and out.”
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Insurers, PBMs call on Congress to get rid of delayed Part D rebate rule
by Robert King
FiercePharma.com – A collection of insurer and pharmacy benefit manager groups is not satisfied with just a one-year delay of the implementation of a controversial Medicare Part D rebate rule.
The groups now want Congress to fully nix the rule hastily approved before the end of the Trump administration.
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Big Tech Helps Set Standards for Covid-19 Vaccine Verification
By Sara Castellanos and Angus Loten
WSJ.com – A coalition that includes tech giants and healthcare providers is preparing to release global standards for mobile apps that verify whether someone has had a Covid-19 vaccine.
The Vaccination Credential Initiative standards will incorporate digitally-verified clinical data with a name and birth date that can be also displayed as machine-readable QR codes.
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Time to shine? Pharmas aim to parlay pandemic goodwill into long-term reputation gains
by Beth Snyder Bulik
FiercePharma.com – The coronavirus pandemic threw pharma companies into the spotlight—whether they wanted it or not.
But what began as a rush to COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research is now morphing into long-term business strategies—and changes in the way pharma companies manage their corporate image, says one reputation expert.