Daniel Timms
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
6 minutes ago
- NBC News
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reveals new stake in beleaguered insurer UnitedHealth
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway revealed a new stake in troubled insurer UnitedHealth last quarter, according to a regulatory filing, a surprising buy because of the company's current reputation, but perhaps not considering his history of bargain investing. The Omaha-based conglomerate bought more than 5 million shares in the health care firm for a stake worth about $1.6 billion at the end of June. The stake puts it as the 18th biggest position in the Berkshire portfolio behind Amazon and Constellation Brands, according to VerityData. Berkshire's equity portfolio is worth about $300 billion, so it is possible that Buffett's two investing lieutenants Todd Combs and Ted Weschler were more responsible for this purchase rather than the 'Oracle of Omaha' himself. Buffett said one of his investment managers was behind the Amazon investment in 2019. The insurer's stock shot up 6% in extended trading following Berkshire's disclosure. Shares of UnitedHealth were down nearly 50% for 2025 through Thursday's close before Buffett's filing. The largest private health insurer has become the face of a public blowback in this country against the rising costs of health care. UnitedHealth is currently facing a Justice Department investigation into its Medicare billing practices. In May, the company pulled its annual earnings outlook and CEO Andrew Witty stepped down. Last month, UnitedHealth gave a new 2025 outlook that was well short of Wall Street estimates, hitting the stock further. Buffett, who's turning 95 this month, has been critical of the healthcare system in the U.S., calling it a 'tapeworm' on the economy due to its high costs. In 2018, he, along with Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon, launched a joint venture to improve healthcare for their employees and potentially for all Americans, but it was eventually shut down. UnitedHealth isn't the only stock Berkshire picked up recently. In fact, the conglomerate also took small stakes in steel manufacturer Nucor, outdoor advertising company Lamar Advertising and security firm Allegion. Berkshire also got back into homebuilders Lennar and DR Horton. Shares of Nucor jumped nearly 8% in afterhours trading, while Lennar and DR Horton popped about 3% each. Buffett also pared his positions in Bank of America and Apple. The Apple stake was cut by about 7%. Berkshire's largest positions as of the end of the second quarter were Apple, American Express, Bank of America, Coca-Cola and Chevron. The legendary investor is stepping down as Berkshire CEO at the end of the year, handing over the reins to Greg Abel. Buffett will stay on as chairman of the board. It's still unclear who will be in charge of Berkshire's gigantic equity portfolio, though Buffett has alluded that Abel will be making all capital allocation decisions at the conglomerate. UnitedHealth attracted other buyers last quarter, according to filings, including Michael Burry and Appaloosa Management's David Tepper. Shares of the insurer are trading at a price-earnings ratio of just under 12, near its lowest in more than a decade. There was speculation regarding a mystery stock Buffett was buying as Berkshire had asked for permission to keep certain holdings secret last quarter. It turns out the secret stock was a combination of multiple positions and likely the stakes added in DR Horton, Nucor and Lennar 'A' shares.
New York Post
35 minutes ago
- New York Post
You can get a flu vaccine nasal spray shipped directly to your door this fall
Get a whiff of this. For the first time, Americans can now skip the doctor's office and pharmacy line for their annual flu vaccine — and they can avoid needles, too. AstraZeneca's FluMist Home program officially launches today, sending nasal flu vaccines straight to people's homes. 4 The flu can cause mild to severe illness and, in some cases, lead to death. – Advertisement FluMist is a flu vaccine that's sprayed up your nose. It's been FDA-approved since 2003, and studies show it works about as well as the traditional flu shot at preventing infections and reducing the risk of serious illness. Since hitting the market more than 20 years ago, the nasal spray had only available through healthcare providers. But this season, that's changing with FluMist Home. 'This will be the first time someone will be able to give themselves a flu vaccine right in their own home,' Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, told The Post. 'While that may seem intimidating, this is an incredible milestone to make vaccines more accessible.' How does FluMist Home work? Advertisement The program is available in 34 states this year, with plans to expand. If it isn't offered in your state yet — like New York — you can still get the spray at your doctor's office or pharmacy. Starting today, people in eligible states can visit to complete a medical screening questionnaire, get approved and choose a delivery date. The spray will arrive in an insulated package with cooling packs to ensure it's kept at the right temperature. Liz Bodin, vice president of US respiratory and immunology, vaccines and immune therapies at AstraZeneca, told The Post that it should be used immediately after it arrives or kept in the fridge for up to two months. Advertisement 4 FluMist works by stimulating the immune system in the nose and throat, where influenza viruses typically enter the body. AstraZeneca Is it really safe to administer your own flu vaccine? To earn FDA approval, AstraZeneca conducted a study testing whether adults could successfully administer a full dose of the nasal spray — either to themselves or a child — with the provided instructions. The result? A 100% success rate. 'I'm very confident that eligible patients can administer FluMist safely and effectively at home,' Bodin said. Each shipment includes instructions with 'how-to' guides, videos, a toll-free pharmacist call center and a pharmacist chat feature. Advertisement 4 Doctors say FluMist provides a good option for needle-shy kids and adults. MediaNews Group via Getty Images Who should get a nasal flu vaccine at home? FluMist is approved for self-administration by adults ages 18 to 49, or by parents and caregivers for children between 2 and 17 years old. 'Being able to administer the vaccine in the comfort of one's own home — and to your own children — makes protection more accessible, convenient, and better aligned with the realities and current preferences of people's lives,' said Jhaveri, who also serves as a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University. 'If your little one has a fear of needles, or your doctor's office has no appointments, or you are coordinating a complicated matrix of work, school and after-school schedules, this might be an option for you this season,' he added. 4 The FluMist Home program aims to make vaccination easier for Americans with hectic schedules who might otherwise skip the doctor's appointment. Rido – How much does it cost? Since it's part of the CDC's recommended vaccines list, most insurance plans fully cover it. There's also an $8.99 shipping fee. Prices vary for those without insurance or whose plans don't cover it, but GoodRx lists coupons can bring the cost of the nasal spray down to around $30. Advertisement Why bother with a flu shot? The 2024–2025 flu season was the worst in 15 years, with preliminary CDC data reporting at least 47 million cases, 610,000 hospitalizations and 27,000 deaths nationwide — including 216 children. At the same time, vaccinations lagged across the board. Among Americans under 18, less than half got vaccinated, down from a pre-pandemic rate of 62.4% in 2019-20. 'I strongly encourage flu vaccination — whether it's your first time or not — because it remains one of the most effective ways to prevent flu,' Jhaveri, who is also division head of infectious diseases at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital, said. Advertisement 'Children are especially susceptible to serious complications from the flu, such as pneumonia or hospitalization, and 150-200 children die each season — many of whom are otherwise healthy. 'My recommendation is to get your flu vaccine by the end of October, before the virus starts to circulate. It's a vital step toward protecting yourself, your family and the wellbeing of those around you.'
WIRED
36 minutes ago
- WIRED
Now You Can Get Your Flu Vaccine at Home
Aug 15, 2025 8:00 AM The nasal spray vaccine FluMist can now be ordered online and shipped to your door. Photograph:Instead of going to the pharmacy to get the annual flu vaccine, many people in the US will now be able to get it shipped to their door to take at home themselves. Starting today, AstraZeneca's FluMist is available through an online pharmacy in 34 states. FluMist is not a new vaccine. It was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2003 and previously could only be administered by a health care professional. But last September, the FDA said the vaccine could be self-administered. It's AstraZeneca's first foray into direct-to-consumer medicine—a trend being spearheaded by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to sell their popular GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight management to patients. 'We recognized that people's daily lives are busier than ever, and we knew we needed to meet people where they are facing the realities of real life,' said Tonya Villafana, vice president of medical and scientific affairs at AstraZeneca, at a press conference on Thursday. 'FluMist Home is designed to remove traditional obstacles to vaccination, things like scheduling clinic visits, waiting in line, and the fear of needles.' AstraZeneca is hoping that an at-home offering will help boost flu vaccination rates. Only about 47 percent of adults get vaccinated against flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among children, flu vaccination rates are dropping along with those of other routine childhood vaccines. As of April 26 this year, 49.2 percent of children received a flu vaccination—lower than 53.4 percent at the same time the previous season, per the CDC. 'Getting vaccinated each year is the best way to prevent influenza, which causes illness in a substantial proportion of the US population every year and may result in serious complications, including hospitalization and death,' said Peter Marks, former director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement last year on FluMist's approval for self-administration. The CDC classified the 2024-2025 flu season as high severity across all age groups in the US, resulting in at least 610,000 hospitalizations and 27,000 deaths. It was the most severe flu season since the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic. AstraZeneca's September 2024 approval was based on a study with vaccine recipients and caregivers to evaluate whether the instructions for use were appropriately designed so that they could safely and effectively use the vaccine. The vaccine contains a weakened form of the live influenza virus and protects against four types of flu strains. It is approved for ages 2 through 49. For those under 18, it must be administered by a caregiver. To order, customers will need to complete a medical screening questionnaire. A licensed health care provider will review each submission to determine eligibility. Once eligibility is confirmed and insurance is verified, the vaccine will be prescribed and shipped directly to the purchaser's home on a date they select. FluMist is covered by most insurance plans, but consumers will need to pay an $8.99 delivery fee. AstraZeneca says FluMist is not yet available in all states due to local pharmacy laws, but the company aims to be able to provide the at-home spray to all the contiguous states in the future. The vaccine will continue to be available in doctors' offices and pharmacies for administration by health care professionals across the country.
