Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biotech Startup Is Testing New Drugs To Tackle ALS
The Boston Globe: Cambridge Biotech Testing Experimental ALS Drugs Based On Harvard Research
A Cambridge biotech startup based on work from a trio of Harvard researchers believes it has found a new approach to treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that robs people of their ability to move and is often fatal within a few years. QurAlis said Thursday that it has raised $88 million from more than a dozen private investors, including EQT Life Sciences, which has taken a special interest in neurodegenerative disorders and dementias, as well as from the venture capital arms of pharmaceutical giants Amgen and Sanofi. (Cross, 3/9)
In other pharmaceutical news —
ABC News: Nationwide Shortage Of Asthma Medication Albuterol Could Worsen
A nationwide shortage of the asthma medication albuterol has been ongoing since last fall and experts fear it's only expected to get worse. Albuterol can be taken in several forms but it's the aerosolized solution used in a nebulizer in hospital and in homes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put on its drug shortage list in late October. This shortage poses the greatest challenge for hospital settings where it is used most commonly but can be a problem for those that use this form of the drug at home. (Kekatos, Cobern and Bakshi, 3/9)
CNBC: Alzheimer's: Eli Lilly Treatment Solanezumab Failed To Slow Disease
Eli Lilly on Wednesday said it will halt development of its Alzheimer’s treatment candidate solanezumab after the antibody failed to slow disease progression. Solanezumab’s failure is a blow to efforts to treat Alzheimer’s in people who are in the very early stage of the disease and have not yet shown clinical symptoms. (Kimball, 3/8)
AP: What To Know About Prescription Drugs Promising Weight Loss
WeightWatchers will be introducing its roughly 3.5 million subscribers to a new generation of medications that go beyond behavioral changes like gym workouts and diet tracking. Obesity experts say the drugs may revolutionize treatment of the disease that affects 42% of American adults. Here’s a look at the promise of these new medications and cautions about their use. (Aleccia, 3/8)
NPR: Gene Editing Benefits And Risks Debated At London Meeting
It's still far too premature to try to use powerful new technologies to edit genes that can be passed down from generation to generation, according to the organizers of the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing that concluded Wednesday in London. (Stein, 3/8)
Also —
Stat: 'Truth Is Losing The Battle': FDA Commissioner On Misinformation
The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether it needs to revamp guidance on how FDA-regulated manufacturers should deal with online misinformation about their products as the agency continues to contend with a deadly tide of falsehoods spreading on social media, Commissioner Robert Califf told STAT. (Brody, 3/9)
USA Today: Drugs Touted By Direct-To-Consumer Ads Don't Trump Others, Study Finds
They often start with someone in late-middle-age, gray-haired but active, taking a brisk hike, biking or looking out to sea. There's a passing reference to some dreaded disease the person would be suffering but for the great drug they're taking. Tucked in the advertisement is a long list of potential, often horrible, side effects, delivered so rapid-fire, they sound almost comical. (Weintraub, 3/9)
Stat: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Contributed To Dr. Oz Campaign
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla made the maximum possible campaign contribution to Mehmet Oz ahead of his failed bid last year to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, according to federal campaign finance records. Oz is well-known for spreading medical misinformation, including touting astrology as a legitimate medical tool and the myth that apple juice contains unsafe levels of arsenic — a surprising political ally for Bourla, who runs one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. (Cohrs, 3/9)
