Top of the News:

Here’s why it’s been so hard to find-and produce-at home COVID-19 tests.

POLITICS:

The CDC has authorized the use of both Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 booster shots for all adults, emphasizing the need for those over 50 to get them, Biospace writes.

Human rights and medical organizations  are calling for President Biden to issue an emergency intellectual property waiver for the COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. News and World Report reports.

SOCIAL:

What’s in a name? Plenty – turns out that the brand names of the COVID-19 vaccines haven’t been picked up within the social sphere or modern media, Endpoints writes.

A presentation at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene found that residents of Mali had high seroprevalence of COVID-19 but low COVID-19 rates,  MedPage Today reports.

ENVIRONMENT:

Medical device design company Owen Mumford has begun construction on a new, environmentally sustainable production facility in Witney, Oxfordshire, in the U.K.,Contract Pharma reports.

Professional Development:

How to avoid these all-too-common mistakes in your email communications.

ECONOMIC:

Pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. has one-upped activist investors working to prevent the health science company’s buyout ofAcceleron by collecting 63.7% of its shares, effectively buying out the company, Fierce Pharma writes.

Life science tech company BD is growing its biosciences division with the purchase of a new reagent innovation center in San Diego, Mass Device reports.

TECHNOLOGY:

The FDA has granted device designations to an exo-suit called ReBoot, by ReWalk Robotics made to help stroke patients walk and MoveAgain, a brain-computer interface by Blackrock Neurotech made to help users move something like a wheelchair or computer mouse with their brain among other technological medical devices, MedTech Dive writes.

LEGAL:

U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers has blocked the state of Florida’s request to apply a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against legislation from the Biden administration that would require workers at hospitals and nursing homes tobe vaccinated against COVID-19, The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Gilead is paying up to $275 million to retain the rights to four cancer fighting drugs developed by Arcus, Biopharma Dive writes.