Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chemistry Nobel Awarded For Eco-Friendly Catalyst Discovery
The Washington Post: Nobel Prize In Chemistry Awarded To Duo Who Helped Construct Molecules In A Cheap, Environmentally Friendly Way
The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to two scientists who built a tool for constructing molecules in a cheap, environmentally friendly way, allowing researchers to more easily make products including pharmaceuticals. David W.C. MacMillan of Princeton University and Benjamin List of the Max Planck Institute in Germany were awarded the Nobel for their development of a precise new tool for molecular construction known as organocatalysis. (Sellers, 10/6)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Older Americans Bore The Brunt Of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections, Study Finds
Older Americans were disproportionately affected by several different types of infection for which antibiotics were largely ineffective, resulting in nearly 12,000 deaths and costing the U.S. health care system almost $1.9 billion in 2017, a new study found. Of those deaths, 40% were estimated to have occurred among those 65 years and older, while this same group of patients accounted for 41% of the associated health care costs. Yet Americans who are 65 years or older account for just 15% of the U.S. population, according to a corresponding analysis. (Silverman, 10/7)
FiercePharma: As Revance Nears A Potential Launch For Its Botox Rival, AbbVie Sues For Patent Infringement
Revance Therapeutics has traveled a long road to a potential FDA approval for its Botox competitor, including COVID delays that pushed back plant inspections. Now, it faces a new obstacle: a patent lawsuit from drug giant AbbVie. AbbVie subsidiary Allergan on Friday sued Revance, alleging the company's proposed frown-line injection daxibotulinumtoxinA infringes several Botox patents. An FDA decision on Revance's rival drug is "imminent," AbbVie says in the suit, so the pharma giant is seeking a judgment from the court that its patents will be infringed, plus damages that could include a "reasonable royalty and lost profits." (Sagonowsky, 10/5)
In updates on the Theranos trial —
The Wall Street Journal: The Theranos Trial: Former Safeway CEO Testifies Over Failed Partnership
Safeway Inc.’s former top executive testified Wednesday that the grocery-story chain relied on Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes’s promises when it decided to invest over $350 million in a partnership with the blood-testing company. The relationship between Ms. Holmes and Safeway’s then-chief executive, Steven Burd, started with a shared vision of making healthcare more accessible, but it soured as Mr. Burd faced the end of his career with nothing to show from the expensive pursuit of installing Theranos clinics in hundreds of stores. (Somerville and Randazzo, 10/6)
