Novo Holdings, the parent company of Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, agreed to buy New Jersey-based contract manufacturer Catalent for around $16.5 billion in cash.
Why it matters: This deal is about boosting production of Wegovy, the anti-obesity drug whose demand has far outpaced supply.
Public health authorities are seeing signs of a second wave of increased flu activity, particularly in the Midwest and parts of the South, after a post-holiday lull of respiratory illness.
Why it matters: More than half of Americans haven't had a flu shot, per the Centers for Disease Control, increasing the odds for sustained high levels of disease spread through February and posing challenges for some stressed medical systems.
Florida is suing the Biden administration over a new policy limiting when states can remove children from public health insurance programs.
Why it matters: Thelawsuit challenges the implementation of a law requiring states to let kids remain eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for 12 straight months before reviewing their status, regardless of life changes that mean they may no longer qualify.
Hospitals intensely lobbying to stop a bipartisan measure that would trim their Medicare payments are emphasizing how the policy may hobble already struggling rural hospitals.
Why it matters: The hospitals' argument is apparently resonating in the Senate — raising further doubts about whether Congress can overcome pressure from a politically powerful lobby to enact modest Medicare savings.
