Spotlight on Health Headlines
B iogen’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug, Adhulem, gen- erated $2 million in revenue in the first few weeks of its approval, according to the company’s recently released second-quarter earnings. Adhulem was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on June 7. The drug, scientifically known as aducanumab, offers new hope to friends and families of patients living with the dis- ease and is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue for the company. BIOGEN’S CONTROVERSIAL ALZHEIMER’S DRUG HITS THE MARKET
E ven as the delta variant rapidly spreads across the globe, WHO officials are still optimistic world leaders could get the Covid-19 pandemic under control next year “if we’re really lucky.” “I’d love to say it will end this year, but I really don’t think so,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s health emergencies program. “If we’re really lucky, we’ll have it under control next year.” The pandemic could end sooner if countries ensure the vaccines are distributed equitably to poorer nations, practice social dis- tancing and adequately fund hospitals, according to Ryan. The longer that people around the world remain unvaccinated and social mixing continues, the higher the risk of a more danger- ous variant to emerge. WHO officials said that international travel should only take place if it is absolutely necessary. WHO OFFICIALS CALLING ON LUCK OVER CONCERNS WITH COVID
I ntensive-care unit and lung doctor, Dr. Vin Gupta told CNBC that he’s already encouraging patients who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine to get a Pfizer or Moderna booster shot amid the dramatic increase in delta variant cases across the U.S. Gupta’s comments come on the heels of a new study from a lab at New York University that raises serious questions about the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine against the highly contagious delta variant. The NYU study is not yet peer reviewed, but found that the antibody levels in those who received the Johnson & Johnson shot may be low enough to be less protective. ENCOURAGING JOHNSON & JOHNSON COVID VACCINE RECIPIENTS TO GET A PFIZER OR MODERNA BOOSTER SHOT
NOVAVAX SAYS ITS COVID VACCINE IS 90% EFFECTIVE W hite House chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci said fully vaccinated people might want to consider wearing masks indoors as a precaution against the rapidly spreading delta variant in the U.S. Some areas of the U.S. are reimplementing mask mandates due to spikes in cases. At the time of this article, the more transmissible delta variant now makes up roughly 83% of se- quenced Covid-19 cases in the country, according to the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention.
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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021
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