Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Approves Drug For Rare Type Of Childhood Epilepsy
Stat: Zogenix Wins Approval For New Drug To Treat Rare Type Of Childhood Epilepsy
A new drug from Zogenix that treats a rare and severe type of epilepsy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday — a decision that clears the way for the company to compete against a recently approved medicine derived from marijuana. The Zogenix drug, called Fintepla, is a liquid solution administered to children born with Dravet syndrome, a severe type of epilepsy that causes frequent and prolonged seizures starting within the first year of life. Approximately 250 children in the U.S. are born with Dravet each year, and it affects about 20,000 people overall. (Feuerstein, 6/25)
Stat: Novartis To Pay $345 Million For Bribing Doctors In Different Countries
Novartis (NVS) agreed to pay more than $345 million to resolve criminal charges brought by federal authorities of using various former and existing subsidiaries to bribe health care providers in different countries to boost prescriptions for its medicines. In doing so, the company becomes the latest in a growing number of drug makers to have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. (Silverman, 6/25)
