What We’re Reading: Minnesota’s Abortion Refuge Status; Moderna’s $130 COVID-19 Vaccine; Biogen’s ALS Drug Awaits FDA Approval

Minnesota Seeks to Become Abortion Refuge State

Minnesota passed a bill that creates a refuge state for patients seeking abortions who live in restrictive states, according to The Associated Press. This bill will prohibit Minnesota from enforcing laws, subpoenas, judgments, or extradition requests from other states, such as Texas, against patients and providers who get or give abortions in Minnesota. Furthermore, another bill, currently working its way through Minnesota’s House and Senate, would repeal a list of state laws curtailing abortion rights; a district court judge already declared those laws unconstitutional, but the bill aims to keep an appellate court from overruling that decision.

Moderna’s $130 COVID-19 Vaccine

Moderna said the expected price for a single dose of its COVID-19 vaccine would be about $130 in the United States, Stephen Hoge, company president, told Reuters. The company previously said the range would be $110 to $130 a dose, similiar to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. With the Biden administration ending the pandemic public health emergency in May, price negotiations are shifting to insurers and away from the government.

FDA Panel to Review Biogen’s ALS Drug

Staff at the FDA believe Biogen’s drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may have "clinical benefit" for patients with rare or aggressive forms of this disease, according to CNBC. On Wednesday, a panel of outside expert advisors will consider accelerated approval of Biogen’s drug tofersen, with the FDA expected to make its final decision on April 25, 2023. The panel will review the mixed evidence about the effectiveness and safety of the drug and will act on 2 questions the FDA has asked the panel to consider.