A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin to raccoon dogs. Perhaps COVID-19’s origins did not lie in bats, the Wuhan virology lab or pangolins. (The Atlantic)
Exposure to air pollution and stress was linked to negative impacts on fetal growth, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network. “The most vulnerable women are those who are hit with multiple types of stressors… reducing individual and neighborhood stressors should be a priority, particularly at the policy level,” study author Carrie Breton said. (Axios)
The Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf called on private insurers to invest more in post-approval clinical drug research. Califf noted “we ought to all be working together to develop the evidence so we spend the money on the things that work.” (STAT News)
Mississippi has decriminalized fentanyl test strips to help fight the opioid epidemic, with a bill passing with bipartisan support with a 117-3 vote. Fentanyl test strips are part of a harm reduction approach to reducing drug overdose deaths. (Associated Press)
BioXcel filed for its cancer subsidiary OnkoXcel to go public as part of its larger approach of “exploring strategic options.” OnkoXcel has recently focused on developing an oral cancer drug, BXCL701, that triggers the immune system to fight tumor cells. (Endpoints News)
