Big expectations, exits, and a rushed union are still testing the $14 billion Teladoc-Livongo merger one year in

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm healthcare editor Leah Rosenbaum, and today in healthcare news:

• One year after the megamerger between Teladoc and Livongo, the united company is still overcoming challenges;
• An immunocompromised man has had 4 COVID-19 booster shots, but is still susceptible to the virus;
• The US had a potential vaccine against Lyme disease, but it got pulled from the market decades ago.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at lrosenbaum@insider.com or tweet @leah_rosenbaum. Let's get to it...

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Livongo's IPO in July 2019.

Livongo

Teladoc acquired Livongo to recreate healthcare. A rushed union, a wave of senior exits, and sky-high expectations are testing the $14 billion bet.

• It's been one year since Teladoc's megamerger with the chronic-care company Livongo.
• The goal is to build one app that covers primary care, chronic care, and other services.
• Teladoc has faced internal and external pressure, and more than 110 Livongo employees have left.

Read the Insider investigation>>

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Registered nurse Alix Zacharski, left, receives a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot from Douglas Houghton, right, at Jackson Memorial Hospital Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Miami.

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

An immunocompromised man had 4 shots of COVID-19 vaccine but still appears to have poor immunity

• An Ohio man registered "no antibodies whatsoever" after four COVID-19 shots, per CNN.
• Andrew Linder, who is immunocompromised, is isolating and limiting contact with people.
• The antibody test he took has some limitations as a proxy for immunity.

Dive in>>

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Deer ticks can cause lyme disease if left untreated/

Photon Illustration/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images

The US had a Lyme disease vaccine decades ago - but the CDC, lawsuits, and conspiracy theories derailed it

• Since 1998, confirmed Lyme disease cases in the US have risen roughly 40%.
• GlaxoSmithKline developed a Lyme vaccine in the 1990s. It went off the market by the early 2000s.
• A new anti-Lyme injection (not a vaccine) is coming. But it could take years to be fully approved.

Read more>>

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More stories we're reading:

• Pfizer CEO calls people who spread misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines 'criminals because they have literally cost millions of lives' (Insider)
• Moderna wants to leave the government scientists it worked with off the company's COVID-19 vaccine patent (Washington Post)
• Some employers with just under 100 staff are wary of hiring more workers and being sucked into Biden's vaccine mandate, according to a report (Insider)
• Here's what public health experts thing about going to the gym, movies and upcoming holiday gatherings (STAT)

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-Leah

Read the original article on Business Insider

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