Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. Most days are quite busy now, though, wouldn’t you say? After all, a pandemic is not a regular occurrence, at least we hope. So we will choose to look on the sunny side and brew another cup of stimulation — maple bourbon is our choice this morning — as we prepare to tackle our growing to-do list. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest to help you sort out your own priorities. Hope your day goes well and, of course, do stay safe. …
A leading think tank aligned with the Democratic Party is laying the groundwork for an aggressive slate of efforts to lower drug prices that could be implemented almost immediately should Joe Biden defeat President Trump in November, STAT says. The Center for American Progress suggested the first-ever use of a monopoly-busting mechanism known as “march-in-rights” to crack down on companies that overcharge for medicines, and resurrecting an Obama-era proposal to change how Medicare pays for many drugs administered by doctors.
Symptoms that prompted AstraZeneca (AZN) and the University of Oxford to pause trials evaluating their Covid-19 vaccine probably were not related to the shot itself, Bloomberg News reports, citing documents sent to participants. Safety reviews were carried out when volunteers in the Oxford study developed unexplained neurological symptoms including limb weakness or “changed sensation,” according to a participant notice. Questions remain about the halt, and their vaccine study remains on hold in the U.S. pending a regulatory review.
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