Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
23andMe Agrees To Sell Data To Drug Developer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Bloomberg: 23andMe Sells Gene-Testing Business To DNA Drug Maker Regeneron
Bankrupt genetic-testing firm 23andMe agreed to sell its data bank, which once contained DNA samples from about 15 million people, to the drug developer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for $256 million. The sale comes after a wave of customers and government officials demanded that 23andMe protect the genetic data it had built up over the years by collecting saliva samples from customers. Regeneron pledged to comply with 23andMe’s privacy policy, which allows customers to have their personal information deleted upon request. (Church and Smith, 5/19)
Becker's Hospital Review: Mayo Clinic Discovery May Extend Donor Heart Preservation: 4 Study Notes
Researchers from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with researchers from Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan, have identified a potential path to improving donor heart preservation, according to a study published May 19 in Nature Cardiovascular Research. Here are four notes on the study: The team found that mineralocorticoid receptor proteins within heart cells “clump together” during cold storage in a process called liquid-liquid phase separation,” according to a May 19 news release from the health system. (Gregerson, 5/19)
Modern Healthcare: J&J’s Biosense Webster Ordered To Pay For Antitrust Violation
A California federal jury ordered Johnson & Johnson’s medical technology unit Biosense Webster to pay $147 million after finding it violated federal and state antitrust laws by refusing to provide clinical support to hospitals that used third-party reprocessed catheters. The lawsuit was initiated by Innovative Health, a company that sells reprocessed catheters regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. (Dubinsky, 5/19)
MedPage Today: Best Intensive Care Unit Sedative? Head-To-Head Trial Weighs In
Alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonists didn't get critically ill patients off the ventilator quicker than propofol in the head-to-head A2B trial. (Phend, 5/19)
CIDRAP: Better Outcomes Found In Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients Treated With Azithromycin
An observational study of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) found that azithromycin was associated with lower mortality and more hospital-free days compared with doxycycline in combination with beta-lactams, Mayo Clinic researchers reported late last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. With macrolide resistance rising, doxycycline in combination with beta-lactams has become a frequently used alternative treatment for hospitalized CAP patients, but data on its effectiveness are limited. (Dall, 5/19)
