Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Ironic Tale, Martin Shkreli Helps Feds Collar Drugmaker For Monopolizing Market
Stat: Drug Maker Pays Antitrust Fine Thanks, In Part, To Shkreli
Martin Shkreli, the pharma bad boy who was vilified for price gouging, apparently alerted the feds to another drug maker that was monopolizing the market for a vital medicine and continually raising its price to sky-high levels. And that other drug maker, Mallinckrodt, has now agreed to pay $100 million to settle antitrust allegations brought by the US Federal Trade Commission. (Silverman, 1/18)
And in other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: FDA Memo Rebuffs Ideas For Expanding Off-Label Marketing
After weeks of anticipation, the FDA has issued a lengthy memo about the extent to which so-called off-label information about medicines may be disseminated to physicians, one of the most contentious issues to roil both the agency and the pharmaceutical industry. But rather than spell out possible solutions to this particularly thorny topic, the 63-page missive essentially summarized key points framing the long-running debate and carefully rebuffed many of the suggestions made by drug makers and others that support expanding pharmaceutical marketing. Meanwhile, the agency continues to seek comments while working to develop a final guidance. (Silverman, 1/18)
Boston Globe: Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Names New Chief Executive
Cambridge biotech Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. has named Richard Peters as its chief executive, filling a role that’s been vacant since the October resignation of Robert Mulroy. Merrimack board chairman Gary Crocker has been serving as interim chief executive. The appointment of Peters, a veteran health care and biopharma executive who most recently has been senior vice president and head of global rare diseases at Sanofi Genzyme in Cambridge, will take effect Feb. 6. (Weisman, 1/18)
