Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Can Covid Cure Cancer? Study Suggests Maybe
Fox News: COVID-19 Virus Could Attack Cancer Cells And Shrink Tumors, New Study Suggests
COVID-19 can cause a long list of health issues, including flu symptoms, respiratory problems and even organ damage, according to medical experts — but a new study suggests that the virus could have a surprising impact on cancer. The study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on Friday, found that COVID infection was linked to cancer regression, which could serve as a foundation for new cancer treatments in the future. (Rudy, 11/19)
The New York Times: Pancreatic Cancer Surge May Be Less Worrisome Than It Seemed
A rise in the disease in younger people was not followed by an increase in deaths, a study found, and might be a sign of overdiagnosis. (Kolata, 11/18)
Stat: FDA Approves Syndax Drug Revuforj For Advanced Leukemia
The Food and Drug Administration approved on Friday a new drug developed by Syndax Pharmaceuticals to treat patients with a genetically defined form of advanced leukemia. The pill, called Revuforj, is the first medicine in a class of drugs called menin inhibitors to reach the market. (Feuerstein, 11/18)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Reuters: US Supreme Court Declines To Hear Patent Dispute Over Bausch Blockbuster Diarrhea Drug
The U.S. Supreme Court turned away on Monday a bid by Alvogen's subsidiary Norwich Pharmaceuticals to sell a generic version of Canada-based Bausch Health's (BHC.TO), blockbuster diarrhea drug Xifaxan. The justices declined to hear an appeal by Norwich Pharmaceuticals of a lower court's ruling that its proposed generic would infringe patents owned by Bausch unit Salix Pharmaceuticals for using Xifaxan to treat the liver-related brain disorder hepatic encephalopathy. In doing so, the justices let the lower court's ruling stand. (Brittain, 11/18)
Reuters: Lilly Pill Cuts Genetic Form Of Cholesterol Nearly 86% In Study
The highest dose of an experimental pill developed by Eli Lilly (LLY.N), dramatically lowered an inherited form of high cholesterol in a mid-stage trial, according to data presented at a medical meeting on Monday. The drug, muvalaplin, reduced levels of lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), by 70% using a traditional blood test and by nearly 86% based on a more specific test developed by the company, researchers reported at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago. (Steenhuysen, 11/19)
Stat: 2 Drugs Target Common Genetic Heart Risk Factor Lipoprotein(A)
Lipoprotein(a) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease you may not hear about in your annual physical. Like LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, too much of the LDL-like particle can create plaque that clogs arteries, creating potential blockages that lead to heart attacks or strokes. It’s also implicated in aortic stenosis, when the aortic valve narrows, pinching blood supply to the rest of the body. (Cooney, 11/18)
The Wall Street Journal: Makers of Weight-Loss Drugs Want Your Employer to Pay for Them
Lilly and Novo Nordisk are hoping to win over employers on the idea that obesity and its complications are already a huge cost in terms of healthcare, workers’ compensation and disability. By offering employees coverage for the weight-loss drugs Zepbound and Wegovy, companies can save money in the long run, the messaging goes. Whether these efforts succeed will help shape the size of the anti-obesity drug market, which some analysts predict could top $100 billion in annual sales. It is an unconventional approach for pharmaceutical companies. (Lofus, 11/19)
Bloomberg: Novo Nordisk Launches Wegovy In China With Prices Below US
Novo Nordisk A/S is launching its top-selling Wegovy obesity drug in China at a fraction of the US price, a key step in unlocking a big, fast-growing market for its blockbuster franchise. The first prescription was issued on Monday to a 40-year-old man at Shanghai’s prestigious public Zhongshan Hospital, according to Chinese media outlet The Paper. (Tong, 11/18)
Also —
Stat: Generative AI In Focus As FDA's Digital Health Committee Meets
Robert Califf has made no secret of the Food and Drug Administration’s struggles to regulate generative AI. Large language models and their application to health care “provide a massive example of a technology with novel needs,” FDA commissioner Califf said in an address earlier this year to the Coalition for Health AI. This week, the agency will turn toward that challenge, focusing the first-ever meeting of its Digital Health Advisory Committee on the question of whether and how generative AI should be regulated by the FDA. (Palmer and Ross, 11/19)
