Up to 98% of the U.S. population may be able to shed masks indoors, according to a new update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The adjusted guidance applies to locations where COVID-19 case rates are low or medium. (Reuters)
Pfizer has closed its $6.7 billion acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals. The Federal Trade Commission gave its blessing to the deal despite chairperson Lina Khan’s vow to crack down on large mergers. (Endpoints News)
Johns Hopkins University, New York University and Yale University are collaborating on a new psychedelics curriculum for psychiatrists. The move comes as more universities create research centers to study psychedelics for medical purposes and train therapists to handle the compounds. (Business Insider)
Healthcare innovations spurred by the pandemic, including virtual care and rapid at-home tests, often exclude people with disabilities. “The only thing that I see is that folks with disabilities are cared for last and are dying first,” said Matthew Dietz of the Disability Independence Group. (Kaiser Health News)
For the first time, families who lost loved ones to the opioid epidemic spoke directly to Sackler family members who owned or led Purdue Pharma. The hearing was part of a settlement between the Sackler family and state and local governments. (The New York Times)
