Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Juul To Pay $1.7 Billion To Settle More Than 5,000 Vaping Lawsuits
The New York Times: Vaping Settlement By Juul Is Said To Total $1.7 Billion
Juul Labs has agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle more than 5,000 lawsuits by school districts, local governments and individuals who claimed that its e-cigarettes were more addictive than advertised, according to people with knowledge of the deal. The amount for the deal, which involves a consolidation of cases centered in Northern California, is more than three times the sum reported for other Juul settlements in other state and local cases thus far. The settlement amount was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. (Jewett, 12/10)
Crain's Chicago Business: Walgreens Sells Off AmerisourceBergen Stock To Pay For Summit Health
For the second time in as many months, Walgreens Boots Alliance has sold off shares in Pennsylvania-based AmerisourceBergen, this time getting $1 billion that it says it will use, in part, to fund the VillageMD purchase of Summit Health-CityMD. (Asplund, 12/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Amgen In Advanced Talks To Buy Horizon Therapeutics
Amgen Inc. is in advanced talks to buy drug company Horizon Therapeutics PLC, according to people familiar with the matter, in a takeover likely to be valued at well over $20 billion and mark the largest healthcare merger of the year. (Dummett, Cimilluca and Cooper, 12/11)
In pharmaceutical research —
Stat: Argenx Antibody Drug Benefits Patients With Autoimmune Disorder
An antibody treatment developed by the Belgian drugmaker Argenx raised platelet counts and stopped bleeding episodes in patients with a rare autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack and destroy its own blood-clotting platelets. (Feuerstein, 12/11)
The Washington Post: AI And Robots Could Help Detect Urinary Tract Infections Earlier
British researchers are working on a new way to recognize urinary tract infections (UTIs) using artificial intelligence and robots. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University have teamed up with Scotland’s National Robotarium and two Scottish nursing home providers for the collaborative project, known as FEATHER (Facilitating health and well-being by developing systems for early recognition of urinary tract infections). The collaborative project was recently awarded about $1.3 million in British government grants. (Blakemore, 12/11)
