Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Eli Lilly Says Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Also Works As Weight-Loss Treatment
USA Today: Mounjaro, Tirzepatide Found Effective For Weight Loss, Eli Lily Says
In a second large study, the drug Mounjaro, now used to treat diabetes, has shown its effectiveness at helping people lose weight. The drug is not yet approved for weight loss, but likely will be later this year, now that two trials have found it effective with similar side effects as other weight loss medications. (Weintraub, 4/27)
CNN: A Drug Company Abandoned A Treatment For 'Bubble Boy Disease.' After A 5-Year Fight, This Little Girl Is About To Get It
Later this spring, a little girl in California who essentially has no immune system will receive a lifesaving treatment for “bubble boy disease” thanks to the persistence of a dogged group of parents, a pediatrician, a veteran newsman and a few episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Five-year-old Seersha Sulack has the same rare disease portrayed in the 1976 John Travolta movie, “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” A germ – even a common cold – could kill her, and so she stays away from anyone outside her immediate family. (Cohen and Mascarenhas, 4/27)
Fox News: Florida Medical Tech Company Launches Novel AI Test For Prostate Cancer Therapy
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S., with an expected 288,000 cases and 34,700 deaths expected in 2023, per the American Cancer Society. As artificial intelligence-based health technologies continue to advance, a growing number of medical tech firms are looking to use AI to improve patient outcomes. One of these is ArteraAI, a firm in Jacksonville, Florida, that develops medical AI tests that help personalize therapy for cancer patients. (Rudy, 4/28)
Stat: FDA Warns Of Security Vulnerability In Illumina Sequencing Machines
The Food and Drug Administration warned health care providers Thursday that a security vulnerability in DNA sequencers made by Illumina could allow unauthorized users to access or alter potentially important medical data. (Herper, 4/27)
Also —
The Conversation: Challenging The FDA’s Authority Isn’t New — The Agency’s History Shows What’s At Stake When Drug Regulation Is In Limbo
Political pressure is nothing new for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency has frequently come under fire for its drug approval decisions, but attacks on its decision-making process and science itself have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent challenges to the FDA’s authority have emerged in the context of reproductive rights. (Coughlin, 4/28)
