Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Supreme Court To Hear Controversial Case On HIV Drugs
Stat: Gilead HIV Drug Case To Be Heard By California Court
In a boost for Gilead Sciences, the California Supreme Court agreed to review a contentious legal theory that thousands of HIV patients have used in a closely watched case to argue drugmakers can be held negligent for failing to develop a medicine. (Silverman, 5/2)
Stat: Amgen Goes All In On Injectable Obesity Treatment MariTide
Amgen said Thursday that it will no longer develop an early-stage obesity pill, and will instead focus on a more advanced injectable candidate that’s seen as a potential competitor to Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. (Chen, 5/2)
Bloomberg: Khosla Ventures, VCs Plow $100 Million Into Blood Test Startup Using AI
Blood-testing company Karius Inc. raised $100 million in a new funding round from investors, and will use the cash to get its technology for detecting hard-to-identify infections into more hospitals. The funding round was led by existing investor Khosla Ventures alongside 5AM Ventures and Gilde Healthcare. The company declined to give its valuation. (McBride, 5/2)
The Atlantic: You Can Test Your Blood For 50 Kinds Of Cancer
It takes a certain amount of confidence to call your biotech company Grail. According to its website, the Menlo Park–based firm got its name because its “co-founders believed a simple blood test could be the ‘holy GRAIL’ of cancer detection.” Now the company claims that its “first-of-its-kind” screening tool, called Galleri, “redefines what’s possible.” At the cost of a needle stick and $949, the company can check your blood for more than 50 forms of cancer all at once. (Mazer, 5/2)
Stat: More Tobacco Lobbyists Active In Statehouses
Around the country, statehouses from Harrisburg, Penn. to Tallahassee, Fla., are being flooded with tobacco industry lobbyists, according to a new report from the anti-smoking advocacy group Action on Smoking and Health. (Florko, 5/3)
