California and New York are planning to review any federally approved COVID-19 vaccine. California Governor Gavin Newsom will form an independent panel to conduct the review. (The New York Times)
AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine trial is expected to resume as early as this week in the U.S after the Food and Drug Administration completes its review. The study was put on hold in September after a U.K. participant became sick. (Reuters)
Mental health service start-up Lyra Health is partnering with meditation app Calm. Lyra Health will add mindfulness, meditation and sleep support to its services that businesses can offer to employees. (CNBC)
Pharmaceutical companies donated $1.6 million to Republican state attorneys general who joined the lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act, during the 2018 election cycle. The money, funneled to the candidate through the Republican Attorney Generals Association, came from more than a dozen pharma donors and the industry trade group PhRMA. (STAT)
Once coronavirus patients have shed the virus, the antibody levels in their blood fall quickly, according to a new study published in mBio. Analysis of blood samples taken from study participants showed that the immunoglobulins that neutralize the virus dropped about six to 10 weeks after the onset of viral symptoms, and that the ability of antibodies to neutralize the virus also decreased during that time. (WebMD)
