Who’s Footing The Bill For The World’s Most Popular Drugs? Americans, By Far

Axios: The U.S. Is Big Pharma's Goldmine
Americans are paying pharmaceutical companies more for the world's 20 blockbuster drugs than the rest of the world combined, according to an analysis of company financial filings by Public Citizen. The U.S. is the pharmaceutical industry's gold mine, and the analysis shows how much the industry has at stake as it fights Democrats' plan to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and let employers piggyback off those lower prices. (Herman, 9/30)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —

AP: Study Highlights Difficulty Of Stopping Antidepressants
A study of British patients with a long history of depression highlights how difficult it can be to stop medication, even for those who feel well enough to try. Slightly more than half the participants who gradually discontinued their antidepressants relapsed within a year. By contrast, the relapse rate was lower — almost 40% — for those who remained on their usual medication during the study. (Tanner, 9/29)

Stat: As Lawsuits Mounted, Purdue Held Conversations With Addiction Policy Group
Over several months in 2017, a top Purdue Pharma executive and the head of the Addiction Policy Forum, a controversial patient advocacy group, discussed the possibility of working together to combat opioid addiction, according to emails reviewed by STAT. One potential project concerned providing educational resources to people struggling with addiction issues, which the Addiction Policy Forum sought to launch. This occurred around the same time that the pharmaceutical industry trade group, PhRMA, was looking to its members — which included Purdue — to contribute to a multi-year, multi-million-dollar grant soon to be awarded to the advocacy group, the emails noted. (Silverman, 9/29)

Stat: Editas CRISPR Treatment Improved Vision For One Patient, But Not Others
An experimental CRISPR-based treatment from Editas Medicine led to meaningful improvements in the functional vision of a single patient born with a rare, genetic disease that leads to blindness — a preliminary study outcome that Editas called encouraging but that also raises some concerns its gene-editing approach is not potent enough. The first clinical data from Editas’ treatment, called EDIT-101, were presented Wednesday at a research meeting. One patient out of four treated with a middle dose of EDIT-101 showed meaningful improvements across several different measures of functional vision. A low dose of the treatment tested in two patients was ineffective. (Feuerstein, 9/29)

Noticias Telemundo: Heritage Imprint: A Milestone From Chilean R&D 
Hepatitis B and C found a foe in biotech and medical researchers spearheaded or funded by a Chilean biochemist. The work and research fostered by Pablo D. Valenzuela led to a groundbreaking vaccine-making technique and the treatment of those with hepatitis B or C, which each affect more than 1.5 million people worldwide every year, according the World Health Organization. (Franco, 9/28)

Stat: A New Study Points To The Power Of Wearables To Predict Infections
A new study that infected willing participants with common cold and flu viruses provides the most rigorous evidence yet that wearable health monitors could predict infections, even before a person starts experiencing symptoms. If the wearables can similarly predict infections in real-world conditions, the technology could add to existing disease surveillance and testing methods. But unresolved issues with standardizing wearables and testing them on diverse populations raise questions about their immediate utility. (Bender, 9/29)

Stat: New Entrepreneurship Program Aims To Bring New Faces To Biotech
A group of graduate students is expanding a Boston-based biotech entrepreneurship program across the country, hoping to bring in startup founders who might not otherwise have access to training, networking, and mentorship opportunities. The new program, Nucleate, is now looking for would-be founders in often-overlooked cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Houston, as well as in seven other cities. Along with entry-level instructions on how to start a company, early-career scientists and business students can find co-founders, get strategic and legal advice, and meet blue-chip investors — without paying a fee or losing equity. (Sheridan, 9/28)

Stat: As Lawsuits Mounted, Purdue Held Conversations With Addiction Policy Group
Over several months in 2017, a top Purdue Pharma executive and the head of the Addiction Policy Forum, a controversial patient advocacy group, discussed the possibility of working together to combat opioid addiction, according to emails reviewed by STAT. One potential project concerned providing educational resources to people struggling with addiction issues, which the Addiction Policy Forum sought to launch. This occurred around the same time that the pharmaceutical industry trade group, PhRMA, was looking to its members — which included Purdue — to contribute to a multi-year, multi-million-dollar grant soon to be awarded to the advocacy group, the emails noted. (Silverman, 9/29)

In updates on the Theranos trial —

The Washington Post: Former Theranos Lab Director Adam Rosendorff Testifies In Elizabeth Holmes Trial 
Former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff took the stand in the trial of Elizabeth Holmes for his third day Wednesday, facing an extended and often tense cross-examination from defense lawyers. Defense attorney Lance Wade questioned Rosendorff about his responsibilities as lab director, pointing out that he was responsible for many things, including readying the lab for inspections. Rosendorff shot back, suggesting that it wasn’t reasonable to pin everything on him. (Lerman, 9/29)

CNBC: Elizabeth Holmes Wrote Personal Notes To Herself About 'Becoming Steve Jobs'
As the media started comparing Elizabeth Holmes to Steve Jobs, the former Theranos CEO wrote a note to herself that contained three telling words. “Becoming steve jobs -” Holmes wrote on April 2, 2015, according to documents obtained by CNBC. The note was among more than a dozen pages of diary-like streams of consciousness writings that Holmes typed up to herself that year. CNBC obtained a portion of those notes. (Khorram, 9/29)