Southwest has dropped its plan to place unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave after its December 8 deadline. As a federal contractor, Southwest is bound by the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate. (CNBC Weekly)
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a biosimilar version of AbbVie’s RA blockbuster Humira. Boehringer Ingelheim won’t be able to make the biosimilar available until July 2023. (STAT)
Roche and Atea’s antiviral COVID-19 pill failed to show efficacy in a mid-stage trial. Atea CEO Jean-Pierre Sommadossi said the companies are “assessing potential modifications” to the study. (Endpoints News)
The controversial launch of Biogen’s Aduhelm will serve as a drag on the company’s third-quarter sales, according to Wall Street analysts. Experts say initial sales and prescriber views have overall been negative due to uncertainty around Medicare reimbursement and patient benefit. (Reuters)
Public health experts in England are tracking a new subtype of the Delta variant known as AY.4.2. Current data shows the new strain might be 10% more infectious than Delta. (Business Insider)
