Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hedge Fund Manager Challenges Drug Patents Using New Dispute Process
CQ Healthbeat: Hedge Fund Manager Takes Aim At Pharmaceutical Patents
A Texas hedge fund manager is using a recently created federal dispute process to challenge patents for medicine, spurring calls from drugmakers for Congress to address what the companies call an abuse of the intellectual property system. Dubbing his effort the Coalition for Affordable Drugs, J. Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital Management casts his work as a bid “to police the abusive tactics of the worst offending drug companies.” His battle will involve less than 1 percent of the more than 3,500 branded prescription medicines, he said in a letter last month to House lawmakers. (Young, 5/20)
The Associated Press: Johnson & Johnson Expects Lucrative Return On Drug Pipeline
Johnson & Johnson is predicting big returns from its prescription drug business, both financially and medically, as it develops treatments and strategies to intervene earlier and prevent or reduce the damage from several conditions, including Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. The world's biggest maker of health care products said Wednesday that it plans to seek approval by 2019 for more than 10 new medicines, each with blockbuster potential - at least $1 billion in annual sales. (Johnson, 5/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Virus Hunter Metabiota Finds Niche In Epidemic Research
A group of virus hunters in San Francisco may be closer to changing the way insurers, companies and countries deal with the risk of another Ebola outbreak. Their company, Metabiota Inc., uses a staff of epidemiologists and researchers in 20 countries to provide forecasts and data on outbreaks. Most of its clients are U.S. government agencies, but in the past three years the firm has pushed deeper into the private sector. On Wednesday Metabiota said it raised $30 million in a new funding round in part to expand its client base among insurance companies and governments. (Hope, 5/20)
