What We’re Reading: Amgen to Buy Horizon for $27.8B; Indoor Masks Back Due to “Tripledemic”; Juul to Settle Vaping Cases for $1.7B

Amgen will buy Horizon Therapeutics for $27.8 billion as the largest health care merger of 2022; high levels of 3 respiratory illness incite reassessment of domestic indoor mask guidelines; Juul Labs is reported to pay $1.7 billion over 500 settlements that claim that e-cigarette addiction level is higher than advertised.

Amgen to Purchase Horizon Therapeutics for $27.8 Billion

Amgen Inc. will purchase Horizon Therapeutics PLC for $27.8 billion, making it the biggest health care merger of 2022, according to The Wall Street Journal. Amgen will purchase each share from Horizon at $116.50, which is a premium of 19.7% more than Friday’s closing price of the stock at $97.29 per share and almost 50% more than the trade price last month upon the announcement of the sale. The acquisition of Horizon gives Amgen the opportunity to add more rare immune-disease drugs to Amgen’s docket, and as per Jefferies & Co., the addition of Horizon gives Amgen the ability to increase its income by about $4 billion by 2024.

Masking Indoors Being Highly Recommended Amidst the “Tripledemic”

Emerging levels of 3 respiratory viruses are prompting public health officials to reassess indoor masking, NPR reported. In recent weeks, COVID-19, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have infected millions of Americans, caused cold medicine shortages, and burdened emergency rooms, leading to several health epidemics to coin the term “tripledemic.” These illnesses have been overtaxing health care systems across the United States and incited renewed recommendations to wear masks indoors in select “high” infection areas as per the CDC’s interactive map measuring COVID-19 community levels.

Juul Vaping Settlement Rumored at $1.7 Billion

Due to claims that the addiction level of Juul Labs’ e-cigarettes was higher than advertised, the company will pay $1.7 billion to over 5,000 lawsuits enacted by school districts, local governments, and individual, reported The New York Times. Marketing restrictions towards young people are now in place for the company. Last week, settlement terms were reached but not yet released, and Juul has made no expressions of wrongdoing or admitted to targeting minors when coming to other settlements with plaintiffs. Juul products are still being sold in the United States despite ongoing FDA review.