Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and other drugmakers are selling or testing prescription drugs that treat diabetes and weight loss. After successful clinical trials, health officials say these dual-purpose drugs may be the most effective and safest pharmaceutical options for people who are overweight or obese. (The Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. began rolling out COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months old. The two 25-microgram doses are given 28 days apart in children aged 6 months to 6 years old. Moderna’s vaccine was estimated to be 50.6% effective in children 6 months to 2 years old. (Reuters)
The Supreme Court ruled employer health plans can make all dialysis providers out-of-network. The ruling is significant, as it potentially opens the door for other businesses to make similar changes to their health coverage and could result in workers who have kidney failure dropping their private plans and jumping onto Medicare. (STAT News)
New data reveals COVID deaths sunk to a rate near the lowest of the pandemic
The COVID fatality average in the U.S. is currently 314 people daily, but this is one-tenth of the number of daily deaths reported in January 2021. Despite the recent spread of the Omicron variant, studies show improved immunity in Americans who were vaccinated, previously infected, or both. (The New York Times)
AstraZeneca revealed success from its $200M advance on Ionis’ ATTR drug. The British pharma giant advanced $200 million in cash to bring in Ionis’ antisense candidate for ATTRv-PN. Phase III data is setting up an FDA filing for 2022 after a 35-week interim trial. (Endpoints News)
