Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biogen To Pay $900M Over Alleged Drug Kickbacks
The Boston Globe: Biogen Pays $900M To Settle Whistle-Blower Suit Over Kickbacks
After a decade of litigation, Biogen has agreed to pay $900 million to settle a federal whistle-blower lawsuit by a former employee who accused the Cambridge-based drug firm of paying kickbacks to hundreds of doctors to get them to prescribe its multiple sclerosis drugs. Under the terms of the settlement, Biogen will pay more than $843 million to the US government and more than $56 million to 15 states for overbilling Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs. (Saltzman, 9/26)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Bias In Medical Device Results Raises Patient Safety Concerns
Racial biases continue to be exposed in medical devices clinicians commonly use to evaluate patients. From thermometers to oximeters to X-rays, people of color receive the most inconsistent results, and it's bad for their health. (Hartnett, 9/26)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Morehouse School Of Medicine Gets Grant To Advance Genomics Research
The partnership, known as the Accelerate Precision Health program, is supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, an organization created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to “solve some of society’s toughest challenges.” The grant is part of a multi-year, $500 million investment to support healthcare research advancing racial equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. (Thomas, 9/27)
Axios: Multimillion-Dollar Gene Therapies Offer Hope To Patients, But Huge Cost Concerns
The era of multimillion-dollar gene therapies has arrived, providing a ray of hope to patients with debilitating diseases — but also presenting huge affordability challenges. (Owens, 9/26)
