Healthcare Industry Actions to Protect Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic – June 26, 2020

The Healthcare Leadership Council is comprised of leading companies from every sector of American healthcare.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be sharing examples of actions these companies are taking to protect and assist the public and combat the virus’s spread.  If you would like assistance in reaching a representative for any of these companies, please contact Kelly Fernandez at kfernandez@hlc.org. 

• Anthem has introduced new digital tools to help government officials, healthcare leaders, and community leaders make informed decisions about re-opening. The interactive dashboards provide current and predictive information about infection rates and community risk scores, utilizing data from federal, state and local levels.  Anthem has also released a consumer digital platform that provides real-time access to health information, telehealth services, and an AI-driven symptom checker.

• LabCorp announced the launch of a new test that can assess the capacity of antibodies in patient plasma to inhibit the COVID-19 virus. The data gained from this test can be used in the development of coronavirus vaccines and the screening of convalescent plasma for prophylactic and therapeutic use.  This test is being made available to biopharmaceutical companies, hospitals, blood banks and other blood-screening facilities.

• Leidos announced a collaboration with biopharmaceutical company Orgenesis to develop Ranpirnese, a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients. The drug regulates cell proliferation, maturation, and cell death and is considered a strong candidate for life-threatening viral and autoimmune diseases.

• Merck is collaborating with Katie Couric on an online interview series exploring the challenges cancer patients face during COVID-19. A company official said the series was created because ”it was important to show a glimpse into the real lives and new challenges that COVID-19 brings to people with cancer—the added concerns and worries—on top of an already devastating diagnosis of cancer.”

• Medidata has released a podcast focused on the question, “How do we keep clinical trial patients safe in a pandemic?” The company’s vice president of global compliance and strategy discusses how the pandemic is testing government’s ability to adapt to changes in human health and maintaining its role in clinical trial oversight and ensuring patient safety.

• A neurosurgeon at SSM Health in Oklahoma City is raising awareness of the connection between COVID-19 and stroke in patients under the age of 50. Hakeem Shakir said this is particularly dangerous because younger people exhibiting stroke symptoms are delaying emergency care for fear of contracting the coronavirus.  Patients, he said, are not connecting their stroke symptoms with COVID-19 symptoms.