Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Jurors Deliberate In Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Case
AP: Jurors Begin To Weigh Evidence In Elizabeth Holmes' Case
The jurors now responsible for assessing 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes are scheduled to begin their first full day of deliberations Monday. They have plenty of evidence to review after a three-month trial that captivated Silicon Valley. That included the testimony of 32 witnesses — including Holmes herself — and more than 900 exhibits. The eight men and four women on the jury took the weekend off after Judge Edward Davila handed them the case late Friday afternoon. They are charged with decide whether Holmes turned her blood-testing startup into a massive scam. If convicted on all counts, Holmes, 37, could face up to 20 years in prison. (Liedtke, 12/20)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Stat: AbbVie Asks The ITC To Investigate Alvotech's Plans For A Biosimilar Humira
In its latest bid to defend its franchise product, AbbVie (ABBV) has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in hopes of preventing a would-be rival from selling a lower-cost version of its Humira treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments. The drug maker argued that Alvotech, which is seeking a toehold in the U.S. for biosimilar medicines, misappropriated trade secrets and should not be allowed to market its version once it becomes available in the U.S. Alvotech, which is based in Iceland, is awaiting regulatory approval after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cited pandemic travel restrictions that delayed plant inspections. (Silverman, 12/20)
The New York Times: A Popular Test Claims To Boost I.V.F. Success. The Science Is Unclear.
For patients undergoing in vitro fertilization, there is a common test to help determine the best time to transfer the embryo for a successful pregnancy. But new research has patients and doctors questioning whether the test — one of a growing number of expensive “add-ons” for I.V.F. patients — is effective for first-time patients. The test, called an endometrial receptivity analysis, takes a biopsy of the interior lining of the uterus. Then a lab analyzes the tissue for more than 200 genes to predict the best time to place the embryo in the uterus, according to the test’s manufacturer, Igenomix. (Klein, 12/18)
Stat: Scientists Study Microbiome's Role In CAR-T Outcomes In Cancer Patients
As cancer-killing CAR-T cells course through the body, they make occasional pit stops at the gut. What they do there — and which gut microbes they meet up with — could potentially change the prospects of these engineered immune cells. Scientists are just beginning to tease apart the conditions that might lead to a gut microbiome to influence how well CAR-T therapy works. (Chen, 12/20)
Stat: For An Antiviral Researcher, Covid Brings Attention — And Opportunity
In February 2020, Jeffrey Glenn was prepping for a meeting at the Food and Drug Administration when his phone suddenly rang. “What do you think about this virus?” asked the caller, a philanthropist who was worried about the pathogen that would later be named SARS-CoV-2. Like everyone else, Glenn, a gastroenterologist and molecular virologist at Stanford Medicine, knew precious little about the virus at the time. He was in the process of designing new medicines for influenza and other viruses. But having spent years in drug development, he knew how hard it was to convince others to care about the threat of pandemics. In most cases, after all, the money was in developing drugs for diseases such as cancer, not infectious diseases. That, however, was about to change. (Hayden, 12/20)
KHN: Local Pharmacists Fill Rx Void As Big Brands Pull Out Of Rural Areas
Bill Mather, a pharmacist in the small Iowa city of Greenfield, wanted to make sure his neighbors could fill their prescriptions without driving long distances or enduring long wait times. So when pharmacy chains and big-box stores began expanding into rural markets, he sold his drugstore in 2007 to Pamida, a grocery chain owned by the Shopko department store company, hoping that would keep his practice alive. Then, in 2019, when Shopko declared bankruptcy, shuttering more than 360 stores, he and another Shopko pharmacist helped open a new drugstore for the city of about 2,000 people. (Hawryluk, 12/20)
In obituaries —
NPR: Alan Scott, The Doctor Credited With Developing Botox For Medicine, Dies At 89
Alan Brown Scott, the ophthalmologist credited with developing the drug Botox for medical use, died at the age of 89 on Thursday, his family confirmed to NPR. Scott, a Berkeley, Calif., native, was suffering from an acute illness for 10 days and was in the intensive care unit, his daughter Ann Scott said. "He definitely loved his work and he was also a really great father," Ann Scott said, saying her father often involved his kids in his research and work. (Shivaram, 12/18)
