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Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AstraZeneca launches at-home FluMist nasal spray delivery
AstraZeneca is making flu protection more convenient with the launch of an at-home delivery option for FluMist, its nasal spray flu vaccine, the company announced Friday. On the market since 2003, FluMist was previously only available at pharmacies or doctors' offices. FDA approves nasal spray flu vaccine Beginning Friday, eligible customers can order it online and have it shipped directly to their door, allowing parents to vaccinate their children at home without shots or a trip to the pharmacy. The spray can be self-administered by adults up to age 49, while caregivers can give it to children ages 2–17, the company said. The FDA approved FluMist for self- and caregiver-administration in September 2024, after research showed adults over 18 could safely and effectively administer it to eligible individuals. AstraZeneca hopes the needle-free option and at-home convenience will boost vaccination rates this year. Last year's flu season saw the highest number of flu-related deaths for children for a non-pandemic year -- 267 -- since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health experts stress that vaccination remains the best protection against the virus, though getting kids vaccinated can be a challenge. The CDC continues to recommend that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine this fall. Most health insurance plans are expected to cover the cost, with a shipping fee for four FluMist doses estimated at under $10. The company added for those who qualify, the nasal spray offers safety and effectiveness comparable to traditional flu shots. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UnitedHealth Group shares climb as Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway discloses stake in the insurer
Shares of UnitedHealth Group are surging before the market open Friday as Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it recently purchased shares of the beleaguered insurer. Berkshire Hathaway bought around 5 million shares of UnitedHealth last quarter, according to a regulatory filing. The stake was valued at about $1.57 billion. Buffett plans to retire as CEO at the end of the year after six decades of building Berkshire Hathaway. Many investors comb through Berkshire's filings every quarter because they like to follow Buffett's moves. The filing doesn't make clear who at Berkshire handled the investment. Besides Buffett, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs also pick stocks, but they generally handle smaller portfolios and Combs also serves as Geico's CEO. Besides stocks, Berkshire owns dozens of companies in a variety of industries including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad, several major utilities and an assortment of manufacturing and retail companies. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company's holdings include many well-known brands like See's Candy and Dairy Queen. UnitedHealth has been dealing with a series of difficulties. Last month the company said that it was cooperating with federal criminal and civil investigations involving its market-leading Medicare business. The health care giant said at the time that it had contacted the Department of Justice after reviewing media reports about investigations into certain elements of its business. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal said federal officials had launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. Those are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and over. The company's UnitedHealthcare business covers more than 8 million people as the nation's largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. The business has been under pressure in recent quarters due to rising care use and rate cuts. The Journal said in February, citing anonymous sources, that the probe focused on billing practices in recent months. The paper has since said that a federal criminal health care-fraud unit was investigating how the company used doctors and nurses to gather diagnoses that bolster payments. UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation's largest health insurance and pharmacy benefits management businesses. It also operates a growing Optum business that provides care and technology support. UnitedHealth's stock has mostly shed value since December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan on his way to the company's annual investor meeting. A suspect, Luigi Mangione, has been charged in connection with the shooting. In April, shares plunged some more after the company cut its forecast due to a spike in health care use. A month later, former CEO Andrew Witty resigned, and the company withdrew its forecast entirely, saying that medical costs from new Medicare Advantage members were higher than expected. UnitedHealth's stock jumped more than 12% in premarket trading on Friday. Still, the stock has lost roughly half its value in the past year. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fast Company
17 minutes ago
- Fast Company
UNH stock: Why are UnitedHealth Group shares surging over 11% today? It's because of this big reveal
Shares in the troubled private health insurer UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) are currently seeing their best trading day in months. As of the time of this writing, UNH shares are up nearly 11.8% to $303.94 in pre-market trading. Yet the company, which is under federal criminal and civil investigations for alleged irregularities in its Medicare business, hasn't announced any fundamental changes to its business—no revised upward outlooks or hints that its operational costs are decreasing. So why then are UNH shares surging this morning? It mainly comes down to one man: Warren Buffett. The Warren Buffett effect Warren Buffett is the most legendary investor in America, and when his company, Berkshire Hathaway, buys shares in another company, investors take notice. And that's exactly what's happened with UNH shares. In a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Berkshire Hathaway has revealed that the Warren Buffett-led firm acquired a significant position in UNH in June. As noted by CNBC, Berkshire Hathaway purchased more than 5 million shares of UNH in June, worth about $1.6 billion. Now that that stake has been revealed, other investors are buying into UNH, likely hoping both to ride the Warren Buffett effect and also hoping that Buffett is correct in whatever he sees in the stock that has led Berkshire Hathaway to make such a large investment. One of the tactics Buffett, who is known as the 'Oracle of Omaha,' has used to buy stocks in the past is to invest in companies when they are down. It's a strategy many investors use: buy stocks when they are depressed, hoping they will rise in the future when the company overcomes whatever challenges it is facing and investor sentiment warms. UNH shares have still had a horrible 2025 Of course, UnitedHealth Group is facing more challenges than most companies right now. After the killing of its subsidiary's CEO, UnitedHealthcare's Brian Thompson, in December 2024, there was large blowback from the American public against UnitedHealth. Americans under UnitedHealth plans voiced their frustrations about their difficulties in getting medical appointments or treatments approved by the private insurer, not to mention the crippling medical costs they face even if their treatments are approved. The private insurance giant has also faced rising costs as more elderly Americans who delayed elective procedures during the Covid-19 pandemic are now returning to hospitals to get surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements. In May, UnitedHealth Group's CEO, Andrew Witty, announced he was stepping down. And in July, the company confirmed that it was under federal criminal and civil investigations for alleged irregularities in its Medicare business, as well as revised its 2025 full-year fiscal outlook downward. Before today's pre-market boost to its stock price, UNH shares had trended down for a long time. As of yesterday's market close, UNH shares were down over 46% year-to-date. Over the past 12 months, shares have been down over 53%. While the nearly 12% rise in UNH's share price this morning is giving the stock a much-needed boost, the company is still facing the same problems it was before Berkshire Hathaway's stake was revealed.
