Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
3 Major Drugmakers Donating Again To Lawmakers Who Denied Biden's Election
Stat: Some Drug Makers Quietly Resumed Donations To Lawmakers Who Denied Biden's Election Victory
Three major drug makers each donated tens of thousands of dollars last year to Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying President Biden’s election, despite pledges to withhold or pause such contributions, a new analysis found. During the second half of 2021, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson gave $32,500, $49,500, and $22,500, respectively, to members of the so-called “Sedition Caucus,” after claiming they would suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted against certifying the election, according to Accountable.US, a government watchdog that analyzed political contributions. (Silverman, 1/4)
In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —
Stat: Applied Therapeutics Tried To Muzzle Short Sellers — But The Truth Came Out
When short sellers began raising questions about New York-based Applied Therapeutics’ treatment for a rare metabolic disorder, the company could have ignored the investors. Or tried to prove them wrong. Instead, I’ve learned, the company deployed heavy-handed legal tactics to scare them into silence. (Feuerstein, 1/4)
Stat: Telehealth Companies Cut Costs By Reimagining The Front Desk
Telehealth companies struggling to stand out in a crowded virtual care market are increasingly leaning on chatbots, online questionnaires, and automated follow-ups to triage patients and trim costs, letting them care for more patients for less money. Patients seeking on-demand doctors’ visits and quick prescriptions have a growing number of choices, ranging from private companies like Nurx and Ro mainly offering non-emergency care like birth control consultations to behemoths like Amwell tackling primary and urgent care. Despite a surge of patients seen during the pandemic, many of these virtual care companies still haven’t turned a profit. And in a sea of competitors offering similar services, the money they save through automation could make a difference in their financial success. (Ravindranath, 1/5)
Stat: The Health Tech Tracker For The First Quarter: 13 Industry Events To Watch
As we enter the pandemic’s third year, we’ll be watching to see whether skyrocketing digital health funding continues at 2021’s breakneck pace — or whether investors will gradually lose interest in the slate of new startups eager to make health care more like the consumer experience. And like last year, this quarter will likely usher in more consolidation as health care giants snap up smaller startups, and even, sometimes, their competitors. (Ravindranath, Palmer and Aguilar, 1/5)
Stat: 3 CRISPR Editing Innovations To Watch In 2022
During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the world’s scientists — including Jennifer Doudna, the researcher best known for her Nobel-worthy role in the discovery of the gene editing technology called CRISPR — put their work on hold to pitch in studying and testing for the novel coronavirus. Last year saw the return, if not an avalanche, of at least a steady pour of CRISPR advances, including the first successful use of in vivo editing in early human trials. (Molteni, 1/5)
Houston Chronicle: New Brain Surgery Technique Treats Patients In Fort Bend County Area
The Fort Bend County area now has an innovative, minimally invasive technique for treating chronic subdural hematomas, or serious bleeding between the skull and the brain caused by head trauma. According to a news release, Dr. Tsz Yeung Lau, a board-certified neurosurgeon at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, recently performed the county’s first meningeal artery embolization to stop a patient’s bleeding. The patient was a woman in her 80s who was taking blood thinners for a heart condition and had recently fallen and hit her head. She had developed severe, debilitating headaches from the bleeding. (Maness, 1/4)
Stat: Robert Califf Is A Fervent Believer In Data. At The FDA, Will That Be Enough?
At his confirmation hearing last month to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Robert Califf was pressed by U.S. senators for his views on the opioid crisis, on tobacco and e-cigarette regulation, and on his relationship with pharmaceutical and tech companies. Califf came prepared and, by all accounts, sailed through. But the hearing did little to address a fundamental question: Who is Robert Califf, and what can we expect him to do? (Herper, 1/5)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: In Elizabeth Holmes Trial, U.S. Gave Patients A Small Stage
Prosecutors proved that Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes defrauded big-name investors about the capabilities of her blood-testing startup. But their charges involving lower-profile patients fell flat after the government gave them a smaller stage at the trial. At the heart of the case was the argument that Ms. Holmes attracted hundreds of millions of dollars from investors after launching patient-testing services that she falsely promised were ready for prime time, and she disregarded the chaos its inaccurate results could inflict on patient lives. In the end, Theranos voided tens of thousands of test results under pressure from regulators. (Weaver and Somerville, 1/4)
Stat: Why The Holmes Conviction Hinged On Defrauding Investors, Not Patients
The trial of Elizabeth Holmes resulted in a mixed verdict, but one outcome is clear: This was a big victory for prosecutors in a high-profile case where the defendant now faces a lengthy prison sentence. Holmes’ conviction on four fraud charges involving huge sums of money invested in Theranos, the now-shuttered blood testing startup with Holmes at the helm, means she will likely spend many years behind bars. The three wire fraud counts accounted for more than $144 million in investments, a sum that will significantly drive up the length of her sentence, legal experts said. (Ross, 1/4)
