Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Harder-To-Crush Version Of OxyContin Hasn't Reduced Overdoses, FDA Says
AP: Experts: Revamped OxyContin Hasn't Curbed Abuse, Overdoses
A panel of government health advisers said Friday there’s no clear evidence that a harder-to-crush version of the painkiller OxyContin designed to discourage abuse actually resulted in fewer overdoses or deaths. The conclusion from the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel comes more than a decade after Purdue Pharma revamped its blockbuster opioid, which has long been blamed for sparking a surge in painkiller abuse beginning in the 1990s. (Perrone, 9/12)
In biotech news —
Boston Globe: BrainGate, Brain-Machine Interface Company, Donated To Tufts University
For more than a decade, scientist and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel’s company BrainGate has been developing ways to connect the human brain directly to computers. But Stibel doesn’t think the world is ready for his technology, because of the potential for abuse. So he’s giving away the company. (Bray, 9/11)
Stat: How Much Is A Startup Worth? In Biotech, The Answer Is Rarely Public
Valuations are fundamental information about any startup. Not only can high valuations give a company bragging rights, it can also affect how much its stock could eventually be worth or how much another company will be willing to pay to acquire it. (Sheridan, 9/14)
