Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Weight Loss Drugs Become Scarce, Some Patients Turn To Risky Sources
CIDRAP: Some Seeking Weight-Loss Drug Risk Ordering It Online From Compounding Pharmacies
Amid spotty access to semaglutide (brand names, Ozempic and Wegovy), people seeking the injectable drug for weight loss have begun ordering it from alleged doctors on TikTok, online pharmacies, medical spas, and compounding pharmacies peddling nonexistent "generic" versions of the drug. (Van Beusekom, 5/18)
The Washington Post: Weight Loss Drug Reverses Obesity For Nearly Half Of Teens In Study
Just under half of obese adolescents administered the latest in a new generation of recently approved weight-loss drugs were no longer considered to be clinically obese by the end of a 16-month trial, a study found. The findings support a small but growing body of evidence that the drug semaglutide, which goes by the brand names of Ozempic and Wegovy, can be an effective treatment option for chronic weight management for a range of ages. (Sands, 5/18)
In updates on several "firsts" —
CIDRAP: US Researchers Report Urinary Tract Infection Caused By Pan-Resistant E Coli
Researchers with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported yesterday that they identified what they believe is the first clinical case in the United States of a patient with an infection showing resistance to all available beta-lactam antibiotic regimens. (Dall, 5/18)
Stat: Gene Therapy Death Not Caused By CRISPR, Investigators Confirm
Terry Horgan, the 27-year-old patient who died eight days after receiving a CRISPR therapy custom-built for him, likely suffered a fatal innate immune response to the virus used to deliver the treatment, investigators concluded. The findings, posted late Thursday to the preprint server Medrxiv, confirmed that CRISPR, the Nobel-Prize winning genome editing tool now being used to develop treatments for a wide range of diseases, played no role in Terry’s death. (Mast, 5/18)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clinic Performs World’s First Implant Of Dual-Device That Combines Two Functions In One
The Cleveland Clinic said that it implanted a dual-function cardiac device in a patient as part of a clinical trial this week, marking the first time this has been done in the world. The Clinic’s landmark surgery is a first step toward learning whether the new device can improve the quality of life for heart patients by reducing life-threatening arrhythmias and treating episodes of irregular or abnormally fast heart rates. (Washington, 5/18)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Bloomberg: Teva Plans To Cut Back Generic Drug Production Even As Shortages Intensify
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. plans to cut back manufacturing of generic drugs, citing low profitability, at a time when shortages are intensifying and makers of these medicines are struggling to stay in business. The Israel-based company is one of the world’s largest makers of generic drugs, but has been contending with high debt as prices shrink across the board. Some nine out of 10 prescriptions filled in the US are for generic drugs. The industry has been under increasing pressure, leading to a scarcity of crucial medicines like antibiotics and cancer treatments. (Swetlitz, 5/18)
Oklahoman: FDA, US Marshals Seize $3 Million Of Kratom From Broken Arrow Company
In a case winding its way through federal court, a Broken Arrow manufacturer of dietary supplements is fighting with the federal government over millions of dollars in product that contains kratom, an herbal drug often marketed as effective for easing opioid withdrawals. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the U.S. Marshals Service, acting with investigators from the Food and Drug Administration, seized more than $3 million in kratom from Botanic Tonics LLC. (Dulaney, 5/18)
The Atlantic: Something Weird Is Going On With Melatonin
In the dark, early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Michael Toce noticed a surprising trend. As a pediatric-emergency-medicine doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital, he was seeing lots of kids who had taken too much medication. The problem wasn’t that they’d overdosed on opioids or painkillers or marijuana. Instead, they’d swallowed too much melatonin, an over-the-counter supplement used as a sleep aid. The ill effects of this mistake seemed mild at the worst—drowsiness, nausea, vomiting—but the number of kids who were affected was going up, up, up. (Stern, 5/18)
