Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Definitely A Big Deal': New Antibiotic Effective Against UTIs
CNN: Gepotidacin: New Antibiotic Appears To Be Effective Against UTIs, Company Says
The first new type of antibiotic developed in more than 20 years to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) appears to be so effective that the pharmaceutical company stopped testing and will soon submit its data to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval. (Goodman, 11/3)
Bloomberg: Amoxicillin Shortage: Hundreds Of Pharmacies Are Lacking Kids' Antibiotic
Two-thirds of 333 pharmacy owners and managers who responded at the end of October to a National Community Pharmacists Association survey about drug shortages said they were having difficulty getting the antibiotic. The liquid form of the drug has been in limited supply in the US since October, according to the Food and Drug Administration, and it’s also in shortage in other countries. (Swetlitz, 11/3)
Stat: FDA Approval Decision On Apellis Pharma Eye Disease Drug Delayed
Apellis Pharmaceuticals said Thursday that submission of additional clinical data to the Food and Drug Administration will delay the review of its experimental treatment for geographic atrophy — a chronic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in older people. (Feuerstein, 11/3)
The Washington Post: Samuel L. Katz, Doctor Who Helped Develop Measles Vaccine, Dies At 95
In the summer of 1955, an outbreak of polio hit the Boston area just months after a vaccine was approved, but not in time to stop the surge. More than 2,000 polio cases quickly overwhelmed the city’s pediatric units. At Children’s Hospital, the lines outside were so long that medical teams worked into the night with flashlights to evaluate children, some limp and feverish in their parents’ arms. Helping with the triage was a third-year resident, Samuel L. Katz. He had found his life’s work. (Murphy, 11/3)
