States Agree To New $7.4 Billion Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement
If finalized, the deal, which was also signed on to by the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, would pay out over the next 15 years. Also: Eli Lilly's experimental weight loss drug, a new Lupus drug, milli-spinner thrombectomy for stroke treatment, and more.
NPR:
Purdue Pharma, Sacklers Reach New $7.4 Billion Opioid Settlement
All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and U.S. territories have approved a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin, over the company's improper marketing of opioids. The deal was filed with a federal bankruptcy court by Purdue Pharma officials in March after negotiations with state attorneys general and other stakeholders. If this plan is finalized, payouts will occur over the next 15 years. (Mann, 6/16)
In other pharma and tech news —
Axios:
DOGE Cuts Cause FDA To Delay Decision On Hereditary Disease Drug
The Food and Drug Administration will miss a deadline this week deciding whether to approve a drug for a potentially life-threatening genetic disorder because of "heavy workload and limited resources," manufacturer KalVista Pharmaceuticals said. It appears to be the first time an FDA review had to be extended because of DOGE-directed cuts to staff at the agency. (Reed, 6/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Lilly's Experimental Obesity Drug Shows Promise In Early Studies
An experimental weight loss drug from Eli Lilly & Co. helped patients lose weight with few side effects, according to the summary of a small study that suggests the company has another foothold in the obesity market. The drug, called eloralintide, helped some patients lose more than 11% of their body weight in three months, according to an abstract posted Friday ahead of the American Diabetes Assn. conference in Chicago. The drug is moving to the next stage of development and researchers will present details on dosing and safety at the conference next week. (Muller, 6/16)
MedPage Today:
Novel Lupus Drug Clears Phase II Hurdle
A small-molecule oral drug shaping up as a first-in-class to treat various forms of lupus performed well in a phase II trial, despite -- or perhaps even because of -- missing its primary endpoint, a presentation here suggested. (Gever, 6/14)
ProPublica:
The Secret Gamble At The FDA That Exposed Americans To Risky Drugs
On a sweltering morning in western India in 2022, three U.S. inspectors showed up unannounced at a massive pharmaceutical plant surrounded by barricades and barbed wire and demanded to be let inside. For two weeks, they scrutinized humming production lines and laboratories spread across the dense industrial campus, peering over the shoulders of workers at the tablet presses, mixers and filling machines that produce dozens of generic drugs for Americans. (Cenziper, Rose, Roberts and Hwang, 6/17)
Stat:
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Community Rocked By Sarepta Death
The death of a second teenage boy from liver failure caused by a gene therapy from Sarepta Therapeutics has left the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community angry, fearful, and divided over whether to maintain hope in the therapy. (Feuerstein and Mast, 6/16)
Fox News:
Stanford Develops Milli-Spinner Device For More Effective Stroke Treatment
Researchers at Stanford University say they have developed a more effective way to treat strokes. The new technology, called the milli-spinner thrombectomy, has been shown to have more successful outcomes for patients who have experienced strokes, as well as heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms and other clot-related diseases, according to a press release from the university. (Rudy, 6/16)
