Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bitter Feud Over Parkinson's Trial Offers Rare Glimpse Of Conflicts Roiling Research Community
Stat: Parkinson's Disease Study Caught In Feud Involving Fox Foundation
A crucial clinical trial of the most promising new treatment for Parkinson’s disease in decades might be delayed because of a feud between a key scientist and the influential Michael J. Fox Foundation. The prominent foundation — the richest nonprofit seeking to cure the crippling neurological disorder — initially wanted to collaborate on a study with the Georgetown University researcher. His preliminary findings last year had buoyed patients’ hopes for the first Parkinson’s medicine that might reverse some of their debilitating symptoms. The trial was supposed to begin in October, but Fox and the Georgetown team had a bitter falling out, and it’s unclear whether Georgetown will be able to obtain the medicine from its manufacturer so that the study can proceed. (Piller, 8/30)
In other news on neurodegenerative diseases —
The New York Times: The Decline Of Tube Feeding For Dementia Patients
Dementia from Parkinson’s disease was taking its toll on Joan Jewell. She could still respond to music ... but she spent most of her time in bed. ... She had trouble swallowing. Last year, her doctor pointed out that she was losing weight and that a feeding tube, surgically inserted through her abdominal wall, might help her regain a few pounds. Her son James, who served as her surrogate decision maker, responded the way a growing number of family members do: He said no. The proportion of nursing home residents with advanced dementia who receive a feeding tube has dropped more than 50 percent, a new national study has found. (Span, 8/29)
Stat: Gene Wilder Wanted To Keep Alzheimer's Secret, Family Says
Cinematic comedy legend Gene Wilder died Sunday night of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83. Wilder had largely faded from public view; his last film credit was 25 years ago. But his family revealed Monday in a statement that the star of “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein,” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease three years ago. (Scott, 8/29)
Bloomberg: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Drugs May Be M&A Targets, Huang Says
Treatments for neurodegenerative diseases could emerge as the next hot spot in health-care mergers and acquisitions, Morgan Stanley’s head of M&A for the Americas said. “Several years out, demographics would point me toward things like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s,” Susan Huang said on Bloomberg Television’s “Deal Report” segment Monday. Oncology deals are likely to dominate transactions in the short term, with recent activity just the “tip of the iceberg,” according to Huang, who advised cancer drugmaker Stemcentrx Inc. on its $5.8 billion sale to AbbVie Inc., completed in June. Over time, M&A will be spurred by growing demand among an aging baby-boomer generation for drugs that combat neurodegenerative diseases. (Fournier, 8/29)
