Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experimental Drugs Achieve Unusually Good Results Against Hard-To-Treat Advanced Breast Cancer
The Associated Press: New Drugs Show Rare Promise Against Advanced Breast Cancer
Doctors on Wednesday reported unusually good results from tests of two experimental drugs in women with an aggressive form of breast cancer that had spread widely and resisted many previous treatments. One drug showed particular ability to reach tumors in the brain, which are notoriously tough to treat. (Marchione, 12/11)
Stat: AstraZeneca Breast Cancer Drug Shrinks Tumors In Majority Of Women
In March, AstraZeneca (AZN) signed a deal with Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo that would pay up to $6.9 billion — $1.35 billion up front and $5.55 billion if sales and regulatory targets are hit — for a single experimental cancer drug. On Wednesday, data from that drug are being presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The new drug, trastuzumab deruxtecan, was tested in a clinical trial of 184 breast cancer patients whose tumors tested positive for a marker called HER2 and who had previously received cancer treatments including Roche’s Kadcyla. (Herper, 12/11)
Columbus Dispatch: Beatty Wants Congress To Cut Insulin Prices
U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty says her new bill would reduce the financial burden for the 7.4 million Americans who use insulin to manage their diabetes. ... A working group at the American Diabetes Association said in March that the list price of insulin has nearly tripled since 2002. The group blamed pharmacy benefit managers — middlemen in the drug-supply chain — for much of the increase. (Rowland, 12/11)
Stat: These Four Startups Got Venture Funding A Year Ago. Did It Help?
Early-stage biotech companies are almost always raising money. That cash, CEOs say, fuels their amazing science and potentially amazing drugs. But early-stage companies are private; only their investors can count on regular updates on their progress. For everyone else, sporadic press releases are usually the only opportunity to hear from a company’s leadership. (Sheridan, 12/12)
Stat: In Largest Fundraising Effort To Date, Omega Funds Pulls In Over $400 Million
Boston-based biotech investor Omega Funds now has $438 million more to spend. The company announced Wednesday that it completed its sixth and largest-ever venture capital investment fundraising effort. The firm’s previous investments include Gossamer Bio (GOSS), Juno Therapeutics, and Editas Medicine (EDIT). (Sheridan, 12/11)
