When Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ Nurtec ODT launched last year, it joined a class of other medicines from Allergan and Eli Lilly aimed at providing migraine patients immediate pain relief. But with an approval Thursday, the drug becomes the first option to both prevent and treat migraines.

The FDA approved Biohaven’s dissolvable Nurtec ODT, or rimegepant, for preventive treatment in people who experience episodic migraines, or fewer than 15 days of headaches per month.

The move makes Nurtec ODT the first oral anti-CGRP drug approved for the preventive treatment of migraine and the only migraine medication approved as a dual therapy for both the acute and preventive use. Now, Nurtec ODT is in “the next stage of being really disruptive,” CEO Vlad Coric, M.D., said in an interview. Read More

Connecticut has been leading the nation in vaccinating its citizens against COVID-19, and was the first state to reach the key milestone of half its adult population vaccinated. Contributing to the success of the state’s effort is a partnership between Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Health (YNHH), which together administered the highest number of vaccines of any vaccination site in the state under a single Provider Identification Number (PIN). Yale’s success prompted a visit from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose staff wanted to see just how the Yale team was able to so efficiently vaccinate so many people, a figure that reached 411,000 vaccinations as of May 19.

In order to vaccinate people with the least amount of waste and the highest possible safety and efficiency, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) distributes the store of vaccines it receives from the federal government to a set of registered sites. Each site is assigned a PIN once it meets requirements that ensure that medical staff is in place to oversee the vaccine effort, that staffers involved are properly trained, and that facilities are up to the task of safely storing and distributing the vaccine. Achieving this and serving Yale’s eight vaccine sites required some creative thinking. Read More

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted approval for Orange-based utility giant Avangrid’s planned $8.3 billion merger with PNM Resources Inc.

According to Avangrid, it now has six out of seven governmental approvals required for the deal to proceed.

PNM provides electricity to approximately 800,000 homes and businesses in both New Mexico and Texas.

The companies announced plans for the merger in October. The cash offer is for PNM’s shares at $50.30 per share. Company leaders expect the merger to close in the second half of this year.

Dennis V. Arriola, CEO of Avangrid, said this latest approval is another key one in the process. He said the company looks forward to working with PNM and its customers to “spur economic growth and accelerate the clean energy transformation.” Read More