Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
J&J Urged To Stop Selling Talc-Based Baby Powder Worldwide
Reuters: Nonprofits Urge Johnson & Johnson To Halt Sales Of Baby Powder Globally
More than 170 nonprofit groups on Wednesday called for Johnson & Johnson to stop selling its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder world-wide, citing concerns that it contains cancer-causing asbestos, according to a statement from advocacy group Black Women for Wellness. (O'Donnell, 7/8)
Stat: International Trade Judge Suggests A 10-Year Ban On A Botox Rival
In a boost for AbbVie (ABBV), a U.S. International Trade Commission judge this week made an initial determination that sales of a competing version of its best-selling Botox treatment should be banned for 10 years. The ruling came in response to a complaint filed last year by Allergan, which AbbVie has since acquired, that a pair of rival companies — Evolus (ELOS) and Daewoong Pharmaceuticals — allegedly stole trade secrets that were used to develop a new wrinkle-smoothing product. A final decision from the ITC, however, is not due until November. (Silverman, 7/8)
The New York Times: Judge Puts Cloud Over Settlement Of Roundup Cancer Claims
An agreement to pay more than $10 billion to settle thousands of claims that the popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer is at risk of unraveling. Although the bulk of the complex deal between Roundup’s manufacturer, the German conglomerate Bayer, and a raft of plaintiff lawyers does not require court approval, one crucial piece does: a plan for handling future claims from customers who develop the form of cancer known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. (Cohen, 7/7)
In science news —
The New York Times: 8 Questions From A Disease Detective On The Pandemic’s Origins
For decades, Dr. Daniel R. Lucey, an infectious disease specialist at Georgetown University, has crisscrossed the globe to study epidemics and their origins. His attention now is on the Covid-19 pandemic, which first came to public notice late last year in Wuhan, China. Its exact beginnings are sufficiently clouded that the World Health Organization has begun a wide inquiry into its roots. The advance team is to leave for China this weekend, and Dr. Lucey has publicly encouraged the health agency to address what he considers eight top questions. (Broad, 7/8)
Stat: Gene-Editing Find Could Point To Cures For Mitochondrial Diseases
Biologist David Liu was in the middle of his morning commute to the Broad Institute two summers ago when he opened the email. We just discovered a new toxin made by bacteria, explained the note from a researcher Liu had never spoken to, and it “might be useful for something you guys do.” Intrigued, Liu phoned the sender, biologist Joseph Mougous of the University of Washington, and it quickly became clear that the bacterial toxin had a talent that was indeed useful for what Liu does: invent ways to edit genes. On Wednesday, they and their colleagues reported in Nature that they had turned the toxin into the world’s first editor of genes in cell organelles called mitochondria. (Begley, 7/8)
