Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Approves Lung Cancer Drug
Stat: Blueprint Medicines' Genetically Targeted Lung Cancer Drug Approved
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new drug from Blueprint Medicines for patients with lung cancer driven by a rare gene mutation. The Blueprint drug, a once-daily pill called Gavreto, is the second treatment approved to treat lung tumors that harbor alterations to a gene called RET. In May, Eli Lilly won approval for a similar drug called Retevmo. (Feuerstein, 9/5)
Stat: China's I-Mab Gets Boost From AbbVie To Develop Cancer Therapy
In November 2014, a little less than six years ago, Chinese scientist Jingwu Zang set up his own drug company, Third Venture Biopharma. The former head of China R&D for GlaxoSmithKline wanted to develop innovative biologics that can treat various cancers and autoimmune diseases. (Chan, 9/4)
In other pharmaceutical and tech news —
Stat: Plasma Giant Grifols To Buy Alkahest, A Startup Targeting Blood Proteins
The giant blood plasma processing company Grifols on Monday said it has agreed to buy Alkahest, a Silicon Valley startup founded by Genentech alums that’s betting that proteins in plasma can fight diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The planned acquisition is primed to bring new resources and recognition to the quixotic, often controversial search for an elixir for diseases associated with aging. (Robbins, 9/7)
Axios: Why Tech Couldn't Save Us From The Coronavirus
Tech's biggest, richest companies have proved powerless to help stop or stem the pandemic — largely because the companies' own products have destabilized the public sphere. The big picture: When the greatest public health disaster of our lifetimes hit, the industry, despite earnest efforts, found that the information environment it had shaped via the internet and social media was profoundly vulnerable to misinformation, partisan division, ignorance and fraud. (Rosenberg, 9/8)
