By Erik Holm and Francesca Fontana

Moderna Inc.

U.S. health regulators late Friday permitted use of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine, the second shot to get the green light to help end the pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration's authorization comes a week after the agency authorized the first shot in the U.S., from Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE. Moderna, a ten-year-old biotech that has never had a product cleared by the FDA, expects to deliver a total of 20 million doses by the end of December. Moderna shares rose 5.1% Thursday when an advisory panel cleared the way for Friday night's authorization.

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Exxon is going green(ish). The Texas-based oil giant pledged Monday to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from its operations over the next five years and eliminate routine flaring, or burning, of methane from its oil-and-gas operations in the next decade. "We respect and support society's ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and continue to advocate for policies that promote cost-effective, market-based solutions to address the risks of climate change," Exxon Chief Executive Darren Woods said. The targets stop short of pledges by European peers, including BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell PLC to reach net-zero carbon emissions -- efforts Mr. Woods previously called a "beauty competition." Exxon shares fell 3.6% Monday.

Alphabet Inc.

Ten states sued Google Wednesday, accusing the search giant of running an illegal digital-advertising monopoly and enlisting rival Facebook Inc. in an alleged deal to rig ad auctions. The following day, 38 states joined in an antitrust lawsuit that alleged the Alphabet Inc. unit maintained monopoly power over the internet-search market through anticompetitive contracts and conduct. Thursday's suit asks the court to move to prevent Google from harming competition, "including but not limited to structural divestitures." The Justice Department filed a similar suit Oct. 20. Alphabet shares fell 0.9% Thursday.

Boeing Co.

Boeing is taking a closer look at some of its 787s. The plane maker has expanded inspections of newly produced Dreamliners after finding more manufacturing defects., holding up deliveries. These delays threaten to add to Boeing's financial strain as it struggles with fallout from the pandemic, which has sapped global demand for air travel and passenger jets. The wide-body Dreamliner passenger jets, which Boeing first delivered in 2011, have an excellent safety record, but the latest defects mark the fourth assembly-line lapse in recent months. Delivery data shows that November was the only month since 2013 without a Dreamliner delivery, other than May, when the pandemic forced Boeing to briefly close production facilities. Boeing shares fell 0.7% Monday.

AstraZeneca PLC

AstraZeneca is branching out. The British drug giant agreed to buy Boston-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $39 billion in cash and stock, a move to bolster its footprint in the lucrative field of rare-disease drugs. The bulk of Alexion's $6 billion in annual sales comes from Soliris, which treats a rare blood disorder. . At an average annual cost of about $600,000, it is among the most expensive drugs in the world. Still, Soliris's patent protection is waning, and the drug faces potential competition that could undercut sales, so Alexion has been working to persuade doctors to switch their patients to a new drug called Ultomiris that is protected from U.S. competition until at least 2030. The company says the advantages of Ultomiris over Soliris include less frequent shots and a lower price. The average annual cost of Ultomiris is about $458,000. American depositary shares of AstraZeneca fell 7.8% Monday.

Amazon.com Inc.

A union movement is under way in Alabama. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., received approval Wednesday to hold a unionization vote, the first such election within Amazon since 2014. A majority of the workers would have to choose unionization for the employees to gain representation. The Alabama warehouse has about 1,500 full- and part-time employees, according to the union, although Amazon has argued the total is higher. The date of the election and other terms have yet to be determined. Labor experts say a successful campaign by workers could inspire similar efforts at other Amazon warehouses. The company has more than 800,000 U.S. employees, second only to Walmart Inc. in the country, as well as more than 760 facilities in its fulfillment network. Hourly Amazon workers have never previously formed or joined a union in the U.S. An Amazon spokeswoman said the company didn't believe "this group represents the majority of our employees' views. Our employees choose to work at Amazon because we offer some of the best jobs available." Amazon shares fell 0.2% Thursday.

General Mills Inc.

General Mills on Thursday said the initial surge in sales it saw at the start of the pandemic is moderating, but executives there say they expect the company will continue to benefit from consumers choosing to eat more at home -- potentially for years. "I am highly confident people won't be going into the office as much as they used to; they won't be going on as many business trips," Chief Executive Jeff Harmening said. In the latest quarter, sales rose 7% to $4.72 billion. The maker of Cheerios, Yoplait yogurt, Progresso soup and more said many of its brands have gained market share this year. Shares rose 1.3% Thursday.

Write to Erik Holm at erik.holm@wsj.com and Francesca Fontana at francesca.fontana@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-18-20 2032ET