The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s landmark decision to approve Biogen’s Alzheimer’s treatment, the first new drug for the disease in almost 20 years, could open the door for more therapies. But three FDA advisory panel members have quit in protest, with one saying it was “probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history.” Indeed, a look at the findings of an advisory panel in November appear to make this week’s decision hard to justify. Nevertheless, investors sent Biogen’s shares soaring while Democratic lawmakers criticized the drug’s $56,000-a-year price tag. The furor highlights, yet again, the failures at the heart of the U.S. system of healthcare, Bloomberg’s Editorial Board writes.

What you’ll want to read this weekend

Inflation is running hot in the U.S. as companies pass on higher raw- material prices. In New York City, rising fares on Uber and Lyft boosted demand for yellow cabs. Real estate prices are soaring—but it’s not a bubble.

Japan is still gambling on a successful Olympics, despite the dangers and costs associated with the coronavirus’s spread. The number of attendees should be kept to a minimum, the country’s main opposition party said. Compare the public angst for these Games with the optimism when Tokyo hosted them in 1964.

Yoshinobu Miyake competes in the Tokyo Olympics of 1964.

Photographer: AFP/AFP

More big corporations are falling prey to cyberattacks and paying ransoms in Bitcoin. The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned against making such payments, and its recovery of some Bitcoins, Tim Culpan writes in Bloomberg Opinion, shows cryptocurrency isn’t as invulnerable as some may think.

El Salvador’s shock adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender may imply a series of risks and regulatory challenges, the International Monetary Fund said. As for the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami last week, attendees said it was a Covid hot spot.

Summer’s almost here. These are the best fire pits for chilling outdoors, along with a few simple rules for grilling skewers.

What you’ll want to know next week

• U.S. President Joe Biden attends NATO and EU summits in Belgium.
• The Federal Reserve meets with a focus on taper-talk.
• Talks resume, perhaps for the last time, to revive Iran’s nuclear deal.
• The E3 video-gaming conference will be more subdued than normal.
• Blue Origin holds an auction to fly into space with Jeff Bezos.

What you’ll want to read in Businessweek

Denial, Spritzers Mark World of Defeated Trump

Tossed from the White House and banished from Twitter, Donald Trump is hardly alone. The former Republican president’s allies and hangers-on have formed an alternate universe that revolves around Mar-a-Lago, lured south by sunshine, golf and money. Take a listen.

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