The Food and Drug Administration declined to approve gefapixant, Merck’s experimental chronic cough drug, and asked the drugmaker for more efficacy data. The decision could delay gefapixant’s approval by months. (Reuters)
Given current global conditions, more COVID-19 variants are likely to develop, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday. Last week, the WHO reported an average of 100 cases every three seconds. (CNBC Weekly)
Battling the pandemic may require a complete overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. “The CDC alone can’t fix this. Businesses have to help, the government has to help, school systems have to help,” Walensky explained. (Politico)
CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch said her goal is to make the company “central to people’s lives.” She pointed to CVS Health’s expansion into primary care and behavioral health as a sign it’s more than just a drug store. (The New York Times)
Casdin Capital and Viking Global Investors are investing $250 million into microfluidics company Fluidigm. The company will also change its name to Standard BioTools. (Endpoints News)
