Law firms tackle abortion access | Feds slam MBTA leaders | BCBS names new CEO
Boston Business Journal
The Boston region's source for local business news & events. Part of the American City Business Journals network.
Welcome to the BBJ's second-ever LinkedIn Weekly Edition! I'm Digital Editor Jess Aloe, bringing you the top business stories from this week, plus what's going on in Boston's innovation economy.
The business of 'Roe': Boston legal teams brace for abortion battles.
Attorneys and legal experts often use words like “chaos” and “mess” to describe the fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June.
But the decision in?Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization?has also opened the door to new business opportunities for law firms, as clients ranging from international corporations to small businesses seek guidance on an evolving state-by-state patchwork of abortion regulations.
“We haven't thought of an area in law (the Dobbs decision) doesn't touch on,” Dianne Bourque, a Mintz attorney who advises health care clients and researchers, told the Business Journal.
This week, Benjamin Kail took a deep dive into how Boston law firms like Mintz, Ropes & Gray LLP , DLA Piper and Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP are gearing up for uncharted battles over abortion access.
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What else happened this week:
FTA: Inadequate staffing levels, weak safety guardrails at the MBTA
The federal government will not take over the MBTA, but issued a sweeping 90-page report Wednesday that slammed the transit authority's leadership for its poor safety procedures, inadequate staffing levels and for focusing on long-term capital projects at the expense of daily operations.
The Federal Transit Agency also found that the Department of Public Utilities, which has held the role of safety oversight agency for years, failed to adequately oversee the MBTA.
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Incoming CEO of Mass. Blue Cross says affordable health care is 'job one'
On Jan.1, Sarah Iselin will become the first woman to lead Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest private insurer. She sat down with reporter Cassie McGrath to discuss affordability, equity and how she plans to approach her new role.?Read the full interview here.
Iselin: There are too many people that are experiencing worse access to care and worse health outcomes depending on the color of their skin.
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领英推荐
Report shows growing biotech industry hampered by housing, transportation
The life sciences sector continued to grow in the Bay State last year, adding another 12,000-plus workers and nearly 16 million square feet in real estate between 2020 and 2021 according to a new report from MassBio that was released this week.
But other challenges are looming — ones that have more to do with planning and development policy than the industry itself. Find out more from Rowan Walrath .
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It was a busy week for Covid-19 vaccine news.
The CDC signed off on Covid-19 boosters designed specifically to target the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants of the coronavirus Thursday, a day after the FDA approved the updated vaccine. Both Moderna and 辉瑞 have been engineering the bivalent shots since June. The shots could be available as soon as next week.
Meanwhile, German biopharma CureVac , which has its U.S. headquarters in Boston, is back in the Covid-19 vaccine game. The company abandoned its first attempt about a year ago. Read more about what lessons the company learned.
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Motherboards and molecules — this week in Boston's tech economy:
Watertown biotech Forma Therapeutics , which makes drugs for blood diseases, agreed to be acquired by Danish pharma giant 诺和诺德 for $1.1 billion. Get the details.
Spear Bio , the Harvard spinout behind ultra-sensitive protein-detection technology that they're using to develop a speedy Covid-19 antibody test, is ready to hit the market. Find out more about how the company is gearing up for a "true growth stage."
MedMinder , a smart pill dispenser maker, will use $35 million in new funding for a market shift, CEO Michael F. Edwards tells Lucia Maffei . The BBJ first reported on the company's new funding in last week's Form D Friday. Learn more about the planned pivot.
Speaking of Form D Friday: This week, fundraises from MassChallenge winner Own Up , NeuroDex , Hydrow, Inc. and Stealth Labs, Inc. Find out how much each company got.
And over on BostInno, Hannah Green has rounded up the local startups that raised money in August. Can you guess which sector got the most VC money last month?
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Finally...
The Western Massachusetts compound once owned by the founder of the The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. went on the market this week for $23 million. It's got an indoor water park inspired by the Bellagio, two 'car barns,' a two-story arcade and a concert stage. See more photos here.
Unfortunately, there's no information about which Yankee candles the estate stocks, so we don't know what the compound smells like. (I'm thinking 'Macintosh' or 'Balsam and Cedar' — what's your guess?)
This Weekly Edition was compiled by Jess Aloe. This is a new feature from the Boston Business Journal, and she wants to hear your thoughts. Questions? Comments? Concerns??Send them her way.