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Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

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Federal Trade Commission faces pharma antitrust battle

Photo: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission plans to hold antitrust hearings later this year, and health care groups haven't been shy about telling regulators this month what they want done with the pharmaceutical industry.

Between the lines: The Hatfields and the McCoys still have guns pointed toward each other.

What they're saying:

  • Consumer groups teamed up with America's Health Insurance Plans to urge the FTC to "stop sham and anticompetitive transactions that unnecessarily delay generic drug and biosimilar competition."
  • Former Rep. Henry Waxman told the FTC it should conduct a deep analysis of pharmacy benefit manager consolidation and how PBM contracts affect drug prices.
  • PhRMA, building on its long campaign against PBMs, similarly wants pharmacy benefit rebates to be scrutinized.

Go deeper

Kadia Goba
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

House passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief package

Photo: Screenshot via C-SPAN

The House approved President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package on a 219-212 vote early Saturday morning, sending it to the Senate for a possible rewrite before it gets to Biden's desk.

The big picture: The vote was a critical first step for the package, which includes $1,400 cash payments for many Americans, a national vaccination program, ramped-up COVID testing and contact tracing, state and local funding and money to help schools reopen.

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Jacob Knutson
10 hours ago - Health

Biden says it's "not the time to relax" after touring vaccination site

President Biden speaking after visiting a FEMA Covid-19 vaccination facility in Houston on Feb. 26. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Biden said Friday that "it's not the time to relax" coronavirus mitigation efforts and warned that the number of cases and hospitalizations could rise again as new variants of the virus emerge.

Why it matters: Biden, who made the remarks after touring a vaccination site in Houston, echoed CDC director Rochelle Walensky, who said earlier on Friday that while the U.S. has seen a recent drop in cases and hospitalizations, "these declines follow the highest peak we have experienced in the pandemic."

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Axios
Updated 10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Health: Most COVID-19 survivors can weather risk of reinfection, study says — "Twindemic" averted as flu reports plummet amid coronavirus crisis
  2. Vaccine: FDA advisory panel endorses J&J COVID vaccine for emergency use — About 20% of U.S. adults have received first vaccine dose, White House says — New data reignites the debate over coronavirus vaccine strategy.
  3. Economy: What's really going on with the labor market.
  4. Local: All adult Minnesotans will likely be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by summer — Another wealthy Florida community receives special access to COVID-19 vaccine.
  5. Sports: Poll weighs impact of athlete vaccination.
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