Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GSK Buys Rights To Experimental Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy
Stat: GSK Buys Rights To TIGIT-Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy From Iteos
Iteos Therapeutics said Monday that it has sold ownership rights to an experimental anti-TIGIT cancer antibody to GlaxoSmithKline — the most recent and largest licensing deal yet for a drug in the unproven, but highly sought-after class of immunotherapy treatments. Glaxo has struggled to compete against its pharma rivals in the cancer drug business, so it had little choice but to pay up big for rights to an anti-TIGIT drug — in this case, an upfront cash payment of $625 million for rights to the drug, called EOS-448. (Feuerstein, 6/14)
Stat: Why Two Scientific Powerhouses Are Teaming Up To Tackle Rare Cancers
As a medical school student, oncologist Vinod Ravi felt like he understood what it took to treat disease. Then his brother was diagnosed with a very rare form of bone cancer, a reality check on the limitations of not only his own education, but the entire field of rare cancer research. Ravi combed through the research and treatment protocols for Ewing’s sarcoma, the cancer his brother had been diagnosed with, but found them patchy and outdated. The drugs to treat the disease fell far short, and Ravi’s brother passed away. (Lin, 6/15)
Stat: Scientists CRISPR Patients' Immune Cells In Bid To Shrink GI Tumors
Last year, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, led by immunotherapy pioneer Carl June, showed that it was safe and feasible to treat cancer patients with infusions of their own immune cells that had been edited with the technology known as CRISPR. The trial was small, and the patients weren’t cured of their cancer. The study was designed only to test safety. (Mullin, 6/15)
Axios: Mallinckrodt Pays Executives $33 Million To Steer Bankruptcy
Last year, drug company Mallinckrodt paid its top five executives nearly $33 million, including $15 million to CEO Mark Trudeau. Last year, Mallinckrodt filed for bankruptcy, faced numerous opioid lawsuits, and shelled out $640 million in underpaid rebates to the federal government — all problems that have come under the watch of executives receiving these lavish pay packages. (Herman, 6/14)
