A look inside the secret club that helps determine the future of healthcare

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Hello,

Hope you all had restful holiday weekends!

Today in healthcare news: an inside look at a little-known club that matches healthcare startups with employers, a look at early data from Russia's vaccine, and what simulations can tell us about face shields and valved masks.

Inside the secret club that helps determine which healthcare startups blow up

• There's a little-known club that matches healthcare startups with companies looking at new ways to provide healthcare benefits to their employees.
• Called the Employer Health Innovation Roundtable, the group runs "Shark Tank" style days of pitches from startups that are evaluated by big companies like Google, Delta, and Boeing.
• From there, the employers can choose to work with one of the startups in a pilot, which can be a massive leg up for young companies looking to break into the healthcare industry.

Read the full story here>>

Top drugmakers made a rare joint pledge not to cut corners on the coronavirus vaccine amid fears shots are being rushed before the presidential election

• Leading drug companies have signed a pledge promising to put safety before speed with a coronavirus vaccine.
• The CEOs of nine companies signed a rare joint pledge promising not to seek regulatory approval before the safety and efficacy of their experimental vaccines are established in Phase 3 clinical trials.
• They said they expect the pledge to "ensure public confidence in the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which COVID-19 vaccines are evaluated and may ultimately be approved."

Read the full story from Aria Bendix and Sinéad Baker here>>

These simulations show how face shields and valved masks allow clouds of respiratory droplets to escape

• Face shields and masks with exhalation valves do not block the spread of small droplets, a new study found.
• Small, aerosol-sized particles linger in the air for longer periods of time compared to large droplets.
• Well-fitted N95 masks, high-quality cloth masks, or surgical masks without valves are more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Read the full story from Andrea Michelson here>>

More stories we're reading:

• I traveled to Turkey, one of the few countries letting Americans in, and they offered me $25 insurance in case I got the coronavirus (Insider)
• Operation Warp Speed's Moncef Slaoui says he'll quit if politics come before science when it comes to coronavirus vaccine efforts (Science Mag)
• Moderna is slowing its vaccine enrollment to make sure there's better minority representation (CNBC)
• Business Insider took a look at chronic unemployment in America (Business Insider)

Let me know what I should have on my radar now that we've made it to the final stretch of 2020. Find me at lramsey@businessinsider.com.

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- Lydia