Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lifesaving Chemotherapy For Kids May Cause Elevated Risk Of Future Cancers: Study
Stat: Lifesaving Childhood Chemotherapy Raises Risk Of Cancer Later In Life
Platinum-based chemotherapy — in particular cisplatin and carboplatin — are a lifeline for children with certain cancers. These treatments, for instance, transformed the prognosis of hepatoblastoma, a rare cancer of the liver that is the most commonly diagnosed in childhood, from a five-year survival rate of 20% to more than 80% for localized tumors. (Merelli, 9/10)
Stat: Cancer Medicines Running Low Across The U.S., Survey Finds
An ongoing shortage of cancer medications continues to force leading cancer centers around the U.S. to seek work-around strategies to treat patients and a majority also report that clinical trials have been disrupted, according to a new survey. (Silverman, 9/10)
Stat: Leukemia Drug Data Suggested A Different Way To Treat Diabetes. A New Biotech Will Test That Idea
When Kura Oncology decided to take aim at a protein involved in cell division and signaling, researchers reported a bonus finding: Targeting the protein, menin, didn’t just control the growth of leukemia cells, it also helped control blood sugar levels in animal studies. The biotech on Wednesday announced that it is turning that insight into a new company. (Wosen, 9/9)
On alcohol and cancer —
Fox News: Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths In The US Have Doubled Since 1990, Study Finds
Annual U.S. cancer deaths tied to alcohol consumption more than doubled over a three-decade period, according to a recent study led by researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health — Americas and presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, revealed that alcohol-attributable cancer deaths jumped from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023. (Quill, 9/10)
In other pharma and tech news —
The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive: Cheap Biologic Drug Alternatives Stall, Threatening U.S. Healthcare Savings
Ninety percent of the expensive, widely used biologic drugs facing patent expiration by 2034 have no lower-cost alternatives in development, according to a new report by the Association for Accessible Medicines, a trade group representing generic drugmakers. This means Americans could miss out on nearly $200 billion in healthcare savings over the next decade with 118 popular biologic drugs going off patent, according to the association’s estimates. These drugs are highly complex medicines manufactured inside living cells and often end up being multibillion-dollar blockbusters for drug companies. (Martinez, 9/10)
MedPage Today: Preschoolers With Cystic Fibrosis Get Close To Normal On Alyftrek
In cystic fibrosis, vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor (VTD; Alyftrek) showed great potential for modifying the progression of disease in young children, according to the TIMBERLINE study. Assessing safety and tolerability of VTD in 67 children age 2-5 years old already on an existing triple combination cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator, investigators found 96% of the children had adverse events, mostly mild (52%) or moderate (39%) in severity. Another 3% had serious adverse events, none considered related to VTD. (Lou, 9/10)
Stat: Novartis, Novo Nordisk Drug Flops Will Likely ‘Pop A Hole In The Balloon’ Of Field
The back-to-back failures of cardiovascular drugs from Novartis and Novo Nordisk made headlines earlier this month. They could also have a chilling effect across the industry. (DeAngelis and Feuerstein, 9/11)
The Washington Post: Why Scientists Are Starting To Worry Popular Supplements Could Harm The Aging Brain
People tend to think about supplements the way they think about food: Things that are inherently good or bad for you. Green beans are good. Potato chips are bad. Vitamin D and fish oil belong, presumably, on the green-bean side of the ledger. But the aging brain may change the calculation, putting some of America’s most popular supplements under new scrutiny. (Eunjung Cha, 9/10)
Stat: Gifts From Pharma Companies Keep On Giving, A New Study Finds
For years, drugmakers have offered free meals, samples, gifts, and speaking fees to physicians, a widely studied issue due to concerns such largesse may unduly influence prescribing habits. But to what extent have interactions between doctors and pharmaceutical representatives changed behaviors over time? (Silverman, 9/10)
