Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Gilead Delayed Development Of Safer HIV Drug To Profit Off Monopoly, Lawsuit Claims
Los Angeles Times: Patients Sue Gilead, Saying Drug Company Intentionally Delayed Safer HIV Medicine
Two Southern California men filed suit against Gilead Sciences on Tuesday, saying they were harmed when the drug company intentionally delayed development of a safer version of a crucial HIV medicine so that it could continue to profit from its lucrative monopoly. The lawsuit — and a similar case that seeks class-action status — says that Gilead executives knew as early as 2000 that the company's scientists had developed a less toxic form of its HIV medicine tenofovir that was less harmful to patients' kidneys and bones. (Petersen, 5/9)
In other pharmaceutical news related to EpiPen-maker Mylan —
Stat: West Virginia Senate Race Pits Two Candidates With Close Ties To Pharma
The protester dressed as a gigantic, orange EpiPen injector was sent to Sen. Joe Manchin’s photo op last month as a reminder from Republicans: The vulnerable Democrat from West Virginia should expect his daughter’s company to be a campaign issue at every stop along his road to re-election. But Manchin — the father of Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, whose company is now infamous for its EpiPen price hikes — may have caught a break in Tuesday’s primary. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the GOP nominee to challenge him in November, is no less entangled in the pharmaceutical world. (Facher, 5/9)
Bloomberg: Mylan Faces EpiPen Shortage As Slowing Sales Trip Up Its Results
Mylan NV’s EpiPen has been hard to find in some areas because of production problems, U.S. regulators said, as the drugmaker reported that declining sales of the lifesaving allergy-shot device weighed on its results. The Food and Drug Administration posted a notification on its website on Wednesday saying that while EpiPen remains available, there are “intermittent supply constraints” due to delays at Pfizer Inc.’s Meridian Medical Technologies, which manufactures the device for Mylan. (Ockerman and Edney 5/9)
The Hill: FDA Reports Shortage Of EpiPens, Citing Manufacturing Delays
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced a shortage of EpiPens, the emergency treatment for severe allergic reactions, citing a manufacturing delay. "Based on the information provided by the manufacturer, the FDA anticipates the EpiPen shortage to be short-term,” said FDA spokeswoman Lauren Smith Dyer. (Sullivan, 5/9)
