 Welcome to Monday's Overnight Health Care. President Trump's meeting with pharma execs isn't happening, but he is touting the administration's progress on a vaccine. Moderna is set to begin its Phase 3 trial, and Tennessee and Kentucky have very different reactions to the White House recommendations about closing bars. We'll start with Trump: Trump hits road to tout progress toward vaccine President Trump and Vice President Pence hit the road on Monday to highlight progress on the development of a vaccine for COVID-19, seeking to project optimism about the administration's response to a pandemic that has killed more than 145,000 people in the U.S. Trump visited a biotech facility in North Carolina that is producing a vaccine developed by Novavax, while Pence headed to Miami with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn to highlight the progress made by Moderna. The visits highlight the administration's attempt to shift the narrative from Trump's failures in responding to the pandemic to instead focus on his efforts to deliver a vaccine in record time — possibly before November. Trump spoke optimistically about the prospects for a vaccine that experts have cautioned may not be widely available for another year, and he made scant mention of the rising number of cases most states are seeing. The White House view: Trump has pinned his hopes for a quick economic bounce back and return to normalcy from the pandemic on the rapid development of a vaccine. Experts have expressed optimism about the chances of having more than one approved vaccine by early 2021. Reality: But a vaccine is not going to be a magic bullet. The initial vaccine may not be as effective as some are hoping — it could reduce the severity of illness, but not totally prevent infection. And it may not be widely available to the general public until several months into 2021. Read more here.
Speaking of Moderna: First phase 3 test of coronavirus vaccine candidate begins in US An investigational vaccine developed by drugmaker Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases began phase three trials on Monday, becoming the first U.S. candidate to reach that step in testing. The vaccine will be tested in 30,000 participants: half will get a placebo, and half will be dosed with the vaccine. The vaccine will require two doses, administered several weeks apart. It's unclear how long it will take to see a clear picture of success or failure. Several drug manufacturers, including Moderna, are receiving support from the federal government through its Operation Warp Speed program, with the company announcing Sunday that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has provided $472 million more for the phase three study and later development, for a total of $955 million thus far. Read more here. Senate GOP proposing second round of $1,200 stimulus checks Senate Republicans are proposing a second round of stimulus checks as part of a coronavirus relief proposal they unveiled on Monday. The GOP package would provide a $1,200 check to individuals who make up to $75,000 per year or a $2,400 check for married couples who make up to $150,000, according to details from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Those amounts would then be scaled down until an income threshold of $99,000 for an individual or $198,000 for married couples is reached. The language largely mirrors the March-passed coronavirus bill. Like the CARES Act, Republicans are proposing an additional $500 per dependent. Unlike the March bill, dependents of any age would qualify for an additional $500 check. Read more here. Related: Republicans want to send second round of PPP loans to smaller, hard-hit businesses About that drug pricing meeting on Tuesday…. A White House meeting with pharmaceutical executives that President Trump said would occur on Tuesday is now off, people familiar with the matter said. A pharmaceutical industry source said that "there was concern that this would not have been a productive meeting" and that companies are still discussing how to move forward after Trump signed a series of executive orders on Friday taking aim at drug prices. Trump had announced during Friday's signing ceremony that there would be a meeting at the White House with industry executives on Tuesday, which he said would give drug companies a chance to propose an alternative to one of his executive orders. Drug companies, however, never publicly confirmed that they would attend the meeting. The White House on Monday indicated it was still interested in having the meeting, but it appears executives do not want to move forward, at least not yet. "The White House has been more than accommodating in attempts to schedule this meeting," a White House official said. Read more here. | 
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