MORNING BRIEFING: More than 90 fire fighters work to stop a factory blaze from spreading in Sydney's inner city, while 700 weekly buses are being added to the Hills District.

MORNING BRIEFING: Eastern suburb residents are particularly at risk after smoke haze blankets Sydney, and a north-bound lane on M1 remains closed after four trucks caught fire after a collision

MORNING BRIEFING: The Metro network is experiencing significant delays after a train breakdown less than 24 hours after yesterday's mechanical problems, while health warnings for poor air quality are issued along the NSW coastline.

MORNING BRIEFING: The Federal Energy Minister 'unreservedly' apologises to Sydney's Lord Mayor for falsely claiming her council spent $15 million on travel, while parts of NSW remain blanketed in haze as winds fan smoke from bushfires.

MORNING BRIEFING: The $2.9 million awarded to Australian actor Geoffrey Rush in his defamation case will be challenged in court today, while much-needed rain has fallen in some of the state's driest areas.

Geoffrey Rush's barrister tells an appeal hearing his client has been "slurred" by The Daily Telegraph's lawyer, who yesterday accused the actor of "delivering lines" when describing the impact the newspaper's articles had on his life.

MORNING BRIEFING: Temperatures are set to soar to over 30 degrees Celsius in some places as firefighters stare down a difficult 48 hours on the east coast. Plus a Russian national is wanted for a double stabbing in Sydney's south.

Did you see this coming?

Information on how coronavirus is impacting Black lives.

The sportswear giant says it will pull its products — from shoes to jerseys — from the e-commerce behemoth because it wants to create its own direct ties to online shoppers.

The dirty little secret of Black Friday — and its cousin, Cyber Monday — is that the best deals are still to come.

Coalition calls on FTC to review how companies are marketing to children and tracking them online.

A new study from market researcher NPD Group reveals that fewer than 10% of consumers are willing to shell out more than a thousand bucks for a phone.

From throat swab to high-tech lab and back again in under 24 hours. This is COVID-19 testing in Sydney.

From throat swab to high-tech lab and back again in under 24 hours. This is COVID-19 testing in Sydney.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says a mandatory code will help "level the playing field" by requiring digital platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay news media businesses for the content they produce.

Michael Waite ran for office in Washington and worked for Bill Gates' private investment company, but helping establish a community newspaper could be his toughest challenge yet.

A journalist left out of work after Australian Community Media shut down his regional printing press starts his own online newspaper in an effort to keep the community informed.

Malcolm Turnbull's memoir, A Bigger Picture, is uncomplimentary about many people and organisations. But few come out of it as badly as Rupert Murdoch's media empire, News Corp.

From throat swab to high-tech lab and back again in under 24 hours. This is COVID-19 testing in Sydney.

The Duchess of Cambridge has been keeping a secret – there's another baby in her...

Senior media figures have warned of the coronavirus "perfect storm" hitting newspapers, saying the drop in circulation and ad revenue could lead to some outlets disappearing completely.

The England international defender became a father for the first time in April 2019 but his clan has now expanded after confirming partner Fern Hawkins had given birth again

Everyone’s favorite comparison should leave us pessimistic.

Former anchor Linda Vester and others have been called in.

You can view all of the articles from this issue individually in full here.

The agency continues to offer guidance about COVID-19 treatments and testsâand issue warnings to companies that fall out of line.

First, let me say thank you to all of the healthcare workers who are putting themselves at risk during this crisis.

As I noted last week, many of the crucial issues for our healthcare system will remain after we all get through this challenging period. In that regard, here’s a look at some noteworthy news from the past month:

• Sanofi discloses new data about insulin prices

• Excellent new academic research on list vs. net drug prices

• Three notable researchers overturn their earlier research on drug costs

• Amazon switches PBM vendors for some of its employees

Plus, we unveil the teaser trailer for Drug Channels Video!

P.S. Join the more than 9,000 followers of my daily links to neat stuff at @DrugChannels on Twitter. My recent tweets have highlighted such topics as:

• How GoodRx shares patients’ prescription data
• 2019 drug trend at Prime Therapeutics
• Controversy about the independent pharmacy market
• A new $5 generic mail order program, Medicare Part D reform
• Retail pharmacy’s future
• Job openings at Amazon 
• Frozen cookie dough
• And much more!

I have also been tweeting many under-the-radar stories about how the coronavirus affects drug channels.
Read more »

Rumor has it that Spring has finally reached our worldwide headquarters here in beautiful downtown Philadelphia. (See photo at right.) While we wait to go outside, please enjoy this month’s selection of noteworthy news:

• The outlook for drug prices

• A outstanding (and free!) resource for tracking COVID-19 daily data

• What’s up with community oncology practices?

Plus, I share my favorite chart of 2020 (so far).

P.S. Join the more than 9,200 followers of my curated links to neat stuff at @DrugChannels on Twitter. My recent tweets have highlighted: Prime Therapeutics new gene therapy offering, AmerisourceBergen’s laudable deal with the Justice Department, the Costco/Instacart deal, Rite Aid’s new CEO, clinical trial trends, vaccine pricing, and much more! I have also been tweeting under-the-radar stories about how the coronavirus is affecting drug channels.

Tomorrow (May 1), Drug Channels Institute will host the first of two live video webinars: Industry Update and COVID-19 Impact: Retail & Specialty Pharmacies. We'll host the second video webinar—Industry Update and COVID-19 Impact: PBMs & Payers—on May 8. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND SIGN UP. Contact Paula Fein (paula@drugchannelsinstitute.com) for our special promo codes for multiple viewing sites. DCI will donate 20% of all profits from these events to The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s COVID-19 Response Fund.

Read more »

Preliminary results of US government trial show patients who received drug recovered faster than others

Hopes of an effective drug treatment for coronavirus patients have risen following positive early results from a trial of remdesivir, a drug first tried in Ebola patients.

Data from the trial on more than 1,000 severely ill patients in 75 hospitals around the world show that patients put on the drug recovered 31% faster than similar patients who were given a placebo drug instead. Remdesivir cut recovery time from a median of 15 days to 11.

Related: World's stock markets soar on coronavirus treatment hopes

Continue reading...

Hydroxychloroquine continues to feature in coronavirus news. Rick Bright, the Director of BARDA, alleges he was pushed out of his position due to his pushback to the administration focusing on the use of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients. This came after the National Institutes of Health said coronavirus patients should not take the drug due to potential “toxicities.”

Vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 continue to dominate the news, as two studies reveal "positive" data for Gilead's remdesivir in hospitalised coronavirus patients while Lonza and Moderna have entered an agreement to mass produce a vaccine.

"We simply cannot stand for an epidemic of violence that robs our youth of their childhood and perpetuates a cycle in which today’s victims become tomorrow’s criminals."

"Today’s settlement resolves the department’s antitrust concerns and allows readers to continue to have a choice between two independent local daily newspapers–the Charleston Gazette and the Charleston Daily Mail."

Based on representations made by MyWire Inc., the department said that the formation and operation of the news service is not likely to reduce competition among Internet publishers and could provide procompetitive benefits to both publishers and consumers.

The Department of Justice announced today that it supports a proposal by The Associated Press (AP) to develop and operate a voluntary news registry to facilitate the licensing and Internet distribution of news content created by the AP, its members, and other news originators

The Antitrust Division today issued the first ever electronic-only version of its 2010 annual newsletter

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned an indictment charging Stephen Jin-Woo Kim with unlawfully disclosing national defense information to a reporter for a national news organization and making false statements to the FBI.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against a Gulfport, Miss., newspaper and a landlord and her agent for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.

The newsletter provides information about the recent activities and accomplishments of the Antitrust Division for the general public as well as the legal and business communities.

Karl B. Rodney, the chief executive officer of the Carib News Foundation and publisher of Carib News, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to making a false statement to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Peter Labovitz, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

A Gulfport, Miss., newspaper has agreed to pay $15,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleging that the newspaper published advertisements for housing that discriminated against families with children.

Peter Labovitz of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division today issued the 2012 edition of its annual newsletter on its website.

A former web producer for a Tribune Company-owned television station in Sacramento, Calif., was charged today in an indictment for allegedly conspiring with members of the hacker group “Anonymous” to hack into and alter a Tribune Company website.

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division today issued the 2013 edition of its annual newsletter on its website.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Newseum Inc., which owns and operates the Newseum, to address alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division today issued the 2014 edition of its annual newsletter on its website.