Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Care Experts Worry Over Sale Of US Helium Stockpile
NBC News: The U.S. Just Sold Its Helium Stockpile. Here’s Why The Medical World Is Worried
On Thursday, the U.S. government sold the Federal Helium Reserve, a massive underground stockpile based in Amarillo, Texas, that supplies up to 30% of the country’s helium. Once the deal is finalized, the buyer — which will likely be the highest bidder, the industrial gas company Messer — will claim some 425 miles of pipelines spanning Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, plus about 1 billion cubic feet of the only element on Earth cold enough to make an MRI machine work. ... Hospital supply chain experts worry the sale could have serious consequences for health care down the road. (Hopkins, 1/25)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Miami Herald: Are You Ordering Medications Online From Canada, Mexico, Other Countries? What To Know
Finding a good deal on medication can be difficult. Even with insurance, prescription medicines can be pricey. Bargain hunters might search for cheaper prices online, but not every Internet pharmacy is legitimate. Sometimes, people turn to Canada, Mexico and other countries for cheaper drug prices. (Marchante, 1/25)
CIDRAP: Antibiotics And Reflux Drugs, When Combined, Linked To Increased C Diff Risk
A population-based study in Sweden found that recent use of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)—drugs often used to relieve acid reflux—was associated with increased risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), particularly when used in combination, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. (Dall, 1/25)
Also —
Reuters: Lilly's Mounjaro Dose In Limited Availability In US Through Next Month
A dose of Eli Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro has limited availability through February 2024, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website, due to an increase in demand. The health regulator's website showed the 12.5 milligram dose of the injection will be available in limited amounts, while other doses of Mounjaro are available. (1/25)
Bloomberg: Zepbound Vs. Wegovy: The Race To Corner The Weight-Loss Drug Market
The multi-billion dollar weight-loss drug market has ballooned in the past few years. And the two pharmaceutical companies currently duking it out for market dominance, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, have a century-long rivalry. In today’s episode, Bloomberg News health reporter Madison Muller breaks down how Eli Lilly developed Zepbound, a new drug that can help patients cut more than 20% of their body weight — and why some investors and analysts say it could turn Eli Lilly into the first ever trillion-dollar drug company. (Fox and Holder, 1/25)
Bloomberg: Zepbound: How Eli Lilly’s Lucky Break Fueled A $600B Weight-Loss Empire
If only Eli Lilly & Co. had listened to Richard DiMarchi, it could have been first to the $80 billion weight-loss drug market. Three decades ago, DiMarchi was working as a scientist at the Indianapolis-based drugmaker, studying a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. In a small trial, he showed that an infusion of the hormone caused weight loss in humans. The finding was so promising that he and a collaborator filed a patent. All Lilly had to do was create a product using the technology and it’d have exclusive rights to sell it for weight management for at least a decade. (Muller, 1/26)
