Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Company Sues Medical Journal
Stat: A Drug Maker Sues A Medical Journal, Its Editor, And Several Authors For Libel
In an unusual move, Pacira Biosciences (PCRX) has filed a libel lawsuit against a medical journal, its editors, and the authors of several recently published papers, arguing the articles were based on “faulty scientific research” and as a result, its only medicine was portrayed as ineffective. The drug maker alleged the papers published this past February in Anesthesiology reflected a “bias” against its Exparel painkiller and “disparaged” the drug, which is used after surgeries. Consequently, customers have either canceled contracts, declined to purchase the drug, which is not an opioid, or are considering removing it from hospital formularies, according to the lawsuit. (Silverman, 4/15)
The Boston Globe: Cheating Allegations Engulf Dartmouth Medical School
A Dartmouth medical student was halfway through a timed practice test for a high-stakes board exam last month when an e-mail flashed on her phone. She was startled to find a formal message on her medical school’s letterhead. The e-mail accused her — and, she later learned, more than a dozen other students — of cheating by accessing online course materials while taking a test on a different software platform. The school said that it had electronic evidence of misconduct, and that she was invited to make a brief statement defending herself at a tribunal to be held over Zoom in a week. (Krantz, 4/15)
In other health care industry news —
Boston Globe: Thermo Fisher Buys Contract-Research Company PPD For $17.4 Billion
Thermo Fisher Scientific announced Thursday that it will buy PPD, a contract-research company for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, in a deal valued at $17.4 billion, plus the assumption of about $3.5 billion in debt. The acquisition will allow Waltham-based Thermo Scientific, a leader in laboratory equipment and services, to expand its reach in life sciences. PPD, based in North Carolina, provides services to help drug companies run clinical trials. (Gardizy, 4/15)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: UGA To Get Up To $92 Million For Federally Funded Center To Fight Flu
The University of Georgia will be home to a federally funded center to increase understanding of influenza virus emergence and infection in humans and animals while also making preparations to combat future outbreaks or pandemics. The National Institutes of Health has approved a contract to establish the Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research (CIDER) at UGA, university officials announced late Wednesday. The contract will provide $1 million in first-year funding and is expected to be supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH, for seven years and up to approximately $92 million. (Stirgus, 4/15)
Modern Healthcare: Private Equity's Estimated Healthcare Spending Halved In First Quarter
Private equity's estimated investment in healthcare in the first quarter of 2021 was half of its total in the final quarter of 2020, when the broader economy was recovering from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Private equity firms' healthcare deals totaled $20.2 billion in the quarter ended March 31, according to data contained in a new report from PitchBook. That's a noteworthy decline from the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2020, when private equity dropped $41 billion on healthcare deals. (Bannow, 4/15)
Modern Healthcare: Oscar Names New Virtual-First Care Division President
Oscar Health announced a new lead to its medical group on Thursday. The new lead comes as Oscar experiences growth in its virtual-first product, a new benefits structure that other insurers have been working to emulate. Dr. Okiki Louis will assume the role of president of Oscar Medical Group at the end of April, heading the New York-based startup's collection of physician-owned practices, which provide virtual urgent care and digital primary care services to its members. (Tepper, 4/15)
Modern Healthcare: CHIME, HLTH To Host Joint Spring Conference Next Year
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and HLTH, the organization behind the HLTH conference that launched in 2018, will co-host an annual joint conference dubbed ViVE, beginning March 2022, the organizations announced Thursday. The inaugural event will take place March 6-9 in Miami Beach, Fla. "They're a great organization," Russel Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME, said of HLTH. "We continue to look for great partnerships." (Kim Cohen, 4/15)
Stat: Biotech Analyst Josh Schimmer On Pandemic Drug Development
The pandemic has shined a spotlight on the biopharmaceutical industry, proving its value through the speed of vaccine development to a society that ranked it even lower in its esteem than the federal government. But when it comes to drugs for Covid-19, how has the industry performed? Josh Schimmer has been analyzing the industry for decades now with the firm Evercore ISI, and he was early to flag the risks of this new virus in the beginning of 2020. He wrote in a research note “very mixed feelings about how the biotech industry delivered during the pandemic.” (Tirrell, Garde and Feuerstein, 4/16)
In obituaries —
The Baltimore Sun: Dr. Michael S. Shear, A Union Memorial Hospital Physiatrist Who Helped Patients Find Relief From Chronic Pain, Dies
Dr. Michael S. Shear, a Union Memorial Hospital physiatrist whose work focused on seeking relief for patients who suffered from chronic pain, died April 5 of cancer at Stella Maris Hospice. The Towson resident was 68. (Rasmussen, 4/15)
