Why analysts have questions after Moderna's $1.5 billion vaccine deal

Welcome to Dispensed Daily, your daily dose of healthcare news from Business Insider's healthcare editor Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer and the healthcare team. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday.

Hello,

It's Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer here, back on newsletter duty after a refreshing week off. Hope you've been enjoying dispatches from my colleagues here on the healthcare team!

Let's get into today's healthcare news, including why one Wall Street analyst is becoming bullish on Moderna, the 21 biotech startups top VCs are betting will take off, and why the World Health Organization thinks you should postpone your routine dentist's appointment.

A $1.5 billion deal for Moderna's coronavirus vaccine has top analysts like JPMorgan questioning how lucrative the shot will be

• The US government has agreed to pay $15.25 per dose for Moderna's coronavirus vaccine candidate.
• The Massachusetts biotech saw its stock jump as much as 10% before markets opened Wednesday, reacting to the $1.5 billion deal.
• But one Wall Street analyst says the deal confirms the long-term risk in the coronavirus vaccine market.

Read the full story from Andrew Dunn here>>

Meet the 21 biotech startups that top VCs say are poised to take off in the next 12 months

• Business Insider asked 12 top biotech venture capital investors which startups they think are poised to take off in the next 12 months.
• The biotech startups range in focus from creating the next-generation of diagnostics to advancing research in areas like cancer and gene therapy.
• Here are the 21 companies they highlighted, including picks from inside and outside the investors' portfolios.

Read the full story from Andrew Dunn and me here>>

WHO: Postpone your dental check-ups and cleanings unless you have an emergency

• People should continue to postpone their regular dentist appointments, according to the World Health Organization.
• The appointments involve close contact and procedures that spread small particles in the air.
• Only people with severe pain, physical trauma to the mouth, and excessive bleeding should make dentist appointments.

Read the full story from Julia Naftulin here>>

More stories we're reading:

• CNBC spoke to a Las Vegas bartender who's taking part in the Moderna vaccine trial (CNBC)
• The risk of catching COVID-19 in a hotel room is very low if it's properly cleaned, experts say (Business Insider)
• The 10 best-selling drugs of 2019, and their gap between invoiced and net sales (Axios)
• Expired and gently used N95 masks can block coronavirus particles just as well as new ones, new research shows (Business Insider)

I'll be back tomorrow with your weekly recap of healthcare news and maybe some photos from my week away from a computer screen.

Until then, you can find me at lramsey@businessinsider.com, and you can reach the whole team at healthcare@businessinsider.com.

Don't forget to subscribe to this newsletter here if you haven't already!

- Lydia