Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Feds Ration Regeneron, Florida Buys A Different Monoclonal Antibody
WUSF 89.7: A New Monoclonal Antibody Drug Is Coming To Florida To Address Cut In Regeneron Shipments
Florida has purchased the shipment of a new monoclonal antibody medication to help treat people with COVID-19 symptoms. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced the shipment of 3,000 doses sotrovimab to help the state overcome what he says will be a shortage in the Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment due to federal rationing. "We're going to be able to use that sotrovimab to bridge some of the gaps that are gonna be developing as a result of the Biden administration dramatically cutting medications to the state of Florida," DeSantis said at the Florida Department of Health office in Tampa. (Lisciandrello, 9/24)
Stat: WHO Recommends Regeneron Drug, But Criticizes Pricing And Distribution
The World Health Organization added a Regeneron Pharmaceuticals medication to its list of recommended treatments for Covid-19, and at the same time, joined Unitaid in criticizing the company’s pricing and distribution of the drug globally. As part of their message, the agencies also urged Regeneron to transfer technology used to make its monoclonal antibody to other manufacturers so that lower-cost biosimilar versions could be made more quickly for low and middle-income nations. They also directed the message at Roche (RHHBY), which struck a deal with Regeneron to make the treatment for distribution outside the U.S. (Silverman, 9/24)
In news about Alzheimer's disease —
CNN: Alzheimer's Drug Aduhelm: What One Ex-FDA Adviser Called 'Probably The Worst Drug Approval Decision In Recent US History'
Dr. Aaron Kesselheim had been on an advisory committee for the US Food and Drug Administration for a half-dozen years, but he had never been to a meeting like this one. The FDA establishes advisory committees to assist the federal agency with one of its most important duties: deciding whether to approve the distribution of new drugs. The stakes of these decisions are enormous. Based on the outcome of the FDA's deliberations, patients may gain access to lifesaving medicines, and manufacturers may reap billions in profits. (Toobin, 9/26)
AP: UMass Lowell Professor Gets $2.7M Alzheimer's Research Grant
A University of Massachusetts Lowell researcher has received a $2.7 million federal grant to continue her research into the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The National Institutes of Health grant will help engineering associate professor Joyita Dutta look at the disease from a network perspective, viewing the interconnections between the regions of the brain, the university said in a statement last week. (9/26)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Axios: Adyn Is Developing Genetic Birth Control Tests To Avoid Side Effects
A new Seattle-based company is using genetic screening to match women with hormonal contraception that minimizes the risk of side effects. A poorly matched birth control prescription can lead to dangerous side effects like blood clots and depression. Analyzing a patient's genetic makeup can help users find the right method without resorting to costly trial and error. (Walsh, 9/25)
Bloomberg: Brothers Who Made Billions On U.S. Pharma Firm Boost Health Bet
Germano and Giammaria Giuliani are still betting on the sector that made their family one of the world’s richest, even after shifting some of their wealth into finance, technology and travel. Investment funds for the billionaire brothers put $133 million into a half-a-dozen or so health-focused businesses from the start of 2020 through July, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. (Stupples, 9/27)
Stat: Epic's Sepsis Algorithm Struggles In The Real World. Its Variables May Be Why
In marketing materials and internal documents, national electronic health record vendor Epic Systems has touted the ability of its sepsis algorithm to crunch dozens of variables to detect the life-threatening condition in advance, enabling doctors to expedite the delivery of potentially lifesaving antibiotics. But STAT has learned it is using a curious piece of data to make its prediction: whether a doctor has already ordered antibiotics. (Ross, 9/27)
