Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HPV Test Kits Based On Self-Sampling Shipping To Doctors' Offices
ABC News: Self-Swab HPV Test Set To Arrive In Doctors' Offices This Month
One of the first tests that allows patients to self-collect samples to screen for human papillomavirus (HPV) will soon be available in doctors' offices. ... BD told ABC News that it started shipping its self-swab kits, called the BD Onclarity HPV Assay, to doctors' offices on Thursday and that kits will begin arriving at health care facilities later this month. (Salzman and Kekatos, 9/5)
Reuters: Abbott Follows Rival Dexcom With OTC Glucose Monitor Launch In US
Abbott has launched its over-the-counter continuous glucose monitoring system in the U.S., the company said on Thursday, making it the second such device on the market to help people track their blood sugar levels. The device, called Lingo, will compete with a rival from DexCom, launched last week, and will be available for adults who are not on insulin. (S K, 9/5)
Reuters: Purdue Pharma Gets Extension For Sackler Settlement Talks
Purdue Pharma on Thursday received an 18-day extension of a years-long pause on litigation against its owners, members of the wealthy Sackler family, after convincing a U.S. bankruptcy judge that the additional time will aid settlement negotiations. (Knauth, 9/5)
Axios: Court Tells Johnson & Johnson To Pay $1 Billion More For 2019 Robotics Deal
Johnson & Johnson broke its promises to investors in Auris Health, a surgical robotics startup it bought five years ago for $3.4 billion. Now it must shell out another $1 billion, based on a ruling yesterday from Delaware Chancery Court. This appears to be the largest legal reward ever granted in an investor earnout dispute, and could change the way that such provisions are written. (Primack, 9/5)
On weight loss drugs —
Reuters: Fake Ozempic: How Batch Numbers Help Criminal Groups Spread Dangerous Weight Loss Drugs
In December, Drew, a 36-year-old man from San Antonio, Texas, drove more than 250 miles (400 km) to Mexico to buy cheap Ozempic to help him lose weight. Going home, he checked the pens. They looked unusual, so he shared photos on social media. The verdict: They were fakes. Three people on Reddit said Drew's product looked like insulin. "If so, it would be dangerous to use," said one. A surge of insulin can cause a sharp drop in blood sugar that can lead to dizziness, seizures and death. The incident sheds light on a wider problem in the manufacturing of highly sought-after drugs, one that lets criminal organizations circulate potentially lethal fakes: forged drug batch numbers. (Wingrove, 9/5)
The Hill: Do Ozempic And Wegovy Have Hidden Side Effects? Lawsuit Alleges Bowel Obstruction, Stomach Paralysis
A woman who used the semaglutide drugs Wegovy and Ozempic to lose weight and treat diabetes says the drugmaker didn’t adequately warn her, or other patients, of the serious side effects she ended up experiencing. Juanita Gantt told CBS News she was found unconscious on the floor last October. When taken to the hospital, doctors realized “parts of her large intestine had died and needed to be removed,” CBS reports. She now has an ileostomy bag in place because her colon was removed. (Martichoux, 9/5)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
North Carolina Health News: Prescription For Crisis: Rural Pharmacies Struggle To Stay Open
People in rural communities depend on local pharmacies for more than just prescription medicines. Many rural pharmacies offer immunizations, blood pressure testing and other services that can be difficult to get in remote places where traditional health care providers are few and far between. In some areas, a rural pharmacist “may be the only trained health professional in town,” according to Professor Delesha Carpenter of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill. (Baxley, 9/6)
ABC News: Millions Of Seniors Can't Afford Their Prescription Medications: Study
Millions of American seniors are having a hard time affording their prescription medications, a new National Health Statistics report suggests. The study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that approximately 4% of those aged 65 and older can't afford their prescription at all, and more than 3% of them skipped doses, delayed filling a prescription or took less medication than prescribed to cut back on costs. (Nebhrajani Bransden, 9/5)
CIDRAP: Study Suggests Unnecessary Antibiotics Contribute To Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine highlights the environmental impact of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. In the study, which was published yesterday in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Hospital Epidemiology, the researchers used the weight of sample waste from an outpatient antibiotic prescription (a paper bag, paper leaflet insert, and plastic prescription bottle), US Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas emission factors, and the estimated percentage of unnecessary outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in 2014 and 2015 (28%) multiplied by the total number of antibiotic prescriptions in 2022 to calculate the amount of waste emissions produced by unnecessary outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. (Dall, 9/5)
