Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dealer Who Sold 'Friends' Star Fatal Ketamine Dose Sentenced To 15 Years
The New York Times: ‘Ketamine Queen’ Sentenced To 15 Years In Matthew Perry’s Overdose Death
A Los Angeles woman who illegally sold the ketamine that killed the actor Matthew Perry was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison, by far the stiffest sentence yet handed to a person charged in the star’s death. The woman, Jasveen Sangha, pleaded guilty last year to five federal charges connected with Mr. Perry’s overdose: three counts of distribution of ketamine; one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury; and one count of “maintaining a drug-involved premises.” (Morgan and Stevens, 4/8)
In related news about substance use —
MedPage Today: As Opioid Use Declines, Gabapentinoid Co-Prescribing Rises
The number of U.S. patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy declined from 2015 to 2023, but co-prescribing of opioids with gabapentinoids increased, prescription data showed. (George, 4/8)
The New York Times: The Fast-Changing Chemistry Of New, Dangerous Drugs
Illicit labs are creating new synthetic drugs at breakneck speed. Dangerous, untested compounds are reaching users long before health agencies know they exist. Older drugs are regularly modified to create novel threats. Ecstasy is a prime example. The party drug MDMA has been illegal since 1985. ... But what if you could add one atom to this molecule to change both the experience of taking the drug and its legal status? You can. A single oxygen atom changes the molecule to methylone, which provides an Ecstasy-like euphoria. The discovery of what this simple change could do has had a profound consequence. (Corum and Richtel, 4/8)
The New York Times: Inside A One-Man Workshop For Ultrapotent Drugs
Last fall, a man who calls himself Chemical Analyst allowed the two of us – New York Times reporters writing about the illegal drug trade – to watch on a secure video call as he packaged ultrapotent synthetic drugs for distribution. These chemicals now flood the modern drug market. Many have psychoactive effects that are much more intense than those of traditional drugs. One newly emerging drug, cychlorphine, can be 250 to 500 times as strong as heroin and 10 times as strong as fentanyl. (Richtel and Corum, 4/8)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Politico: Top Drug Lobbyist To Depart PhRMA At Year End
Stephen Ubl, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the trade group for branded drugmakers, is stepping down at the end of the year after a decade at the organization. Ubl’s announcement leaves a leadership vacuum at one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, just as the Trump administration is overhauling the industry’s pricing practices and questioning the safety of its products. (Chu, Lim and Gardner, 4/8)
Stat: Biotech VCs Face Disruption With Rise Of AI And Chinese Drugmakers
Venture capitalists are pulling themselves out of one of its worst downturns in recent history — and facing new challenges at the same time. (DeAngelis, 4/9)
Bloomberg: Hormone Therapy Prescriptions Jump As FDA Removes Black Box Warnings
Lea Didion didn’t realize the night sweats she began experiencing in her 40s might be a sign of perimenopause. Her doctor clued her in and suggested she consider hormone replacement therapy, a once-vilified treatment that has come roaring back to help relieve hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other symptoms women start to experience in mid-life. (Edney, 4/8)
The Washington Post: If You Aren’t Losing Weight With GLP-1s, This May Be One Reason Why
The GLP-1 weight loss drugs revolutionizing the treatment of obesity, diabetes and a slew of other diseases come with a major caveat: They don’t work for everyone. Some people experience profound weight loss; others barely see the scale budge. Some tolerate the drugs, but others experience nausea and vomiting so unpleasant that they stop taking them. In clinical trials, around 10 to 15 percent of the people who take the drugs are considered “non-responders” because they did not lose at least 5 percent of their body weight. A new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature finds that part of the reason people’s responses to the drugs vary so widely may be in their DNA. (Johnson, 4/8)
