A new study that recreated commercial pasteurization in a government lab provides reassurance that heat treatment kills bird flu virus in cow’s milk, U.S. officials said.

When the bird flu known as H5N1 was first detected in U.S. dairy cows earlier this year, there were no studies of whether heat treatment killed the virus in cows milk. But officials were comforted by studies that showed the pasteurization of eggs — which involves heating at a lower temperatures and for a shorter amount of time – worked, said the Food and Drug Administration’s Donald Prater.

A study in April found that there was no evidence of infectious, live virus in store-bought samples of pasteurized milk, though they did contain dead remnants of it. Some later small studies that attempted to simulate pasteurization showed mixed results.

Stocks drift after inflation continues to ease

Stocks on Wall Street gave up early gains and edged lower in afternoon trading Friday, following a closely watched report that showed inflation continues easing.

Investors are hoping that cooling inflation will prompt the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates, which remain at their highest level in more than 20 years.

The S&P 500 index was down 0.1%, hovering around its all-time high. It remains on track to notch a fourth straight weekly gain. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1% and is hovering around its all-time high.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 52 points, or 0.1%, as of 1:54 p.m. Eastern.