Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Adjusts Lead Poisoning Criteria For Young Kids; Numbers May Double
AP: US Lowers Cutoff For Lead Poisoning In Young Kids
U.S. health officials have changed their definition of lead poisoning in young children — a move expected to more than double the number of kids with worrisome levels of the toxic metal in their blood. The more stringent standard announced Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means the number of children ages 1 to 5 considered to have high blood lead levels will grow from about 200,000 to about 500,000. (Stobbe, 10/28)
And in pharmaceutical industry news —
Stat: Rafael Pharma Drug Fails To Prolong Pancreatic Cancer Survival In Study
Rafael Pharmaceuticals said Thursday that its experimental treatment for pancreatic cancer failed to prolong the lives of patients in a large clinical trial. A separate study of the same Rafael drug, called devimistat, involving patients with a type of leukemia, was also stopped early after an interim analysis concluded the drug was not working, the company said. (Feuerstein, 10/28)
Axios: Merck's Cancer Drug Keytruda On Pace For $17 Billion Of Sales
Cancer drug Keytruda is on pace to generate more than $17 billion of revenue this year after reaching a record $4.5 billion of sales in the third quarter. Keytruda is close to becoming the highest-selling drug in the world and would be a Fortune 200 company on its own. Keytruda continues to be the core of Merck, even though executives told Wall Street yesterday the company expects to collect between $5 billion and $7 billion, now through 2022, from its coronavirus pill molnupiravir. (Herman, 10/29)
