Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawmakers Question Unusual 'Operation Warp Speed' Contract
The Washington Post: Elizabeth Warren, Others Seek Details Of Warp Speed Co-Chief Moncef Slaoui’s Contract
Democrats on Capitol Hill have asked an Alexandria consulting company for details about an unusual contract that has allowed the chief scientific adviser to President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed to maintain personal investments and avoid making ethics disclosures of his holdings in pharmaceutical companies. In a letter Monday to Advanced Decision Vectors, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and two other lawmakers are asking the firm to explain its role in providing drug company executive Moncef Slaoui’s services as the chief coronavirus vaccine adviser to the Trump administration for $1. (Rowland, 8/25)
Stat: Cardinal Health Accused Of Running 'Rent-A-Vet' Scheme To Win Contracts
The largest association of independent nuclear pharmacies in the U.S. is accusing Cardinal Health (CAH), a major pharmaceutical wholesaler, of using front companies to win government contracts that are usually set aside for small business owned by disabled military veterans. In a whistleblower lawsuit, United Pharmacy Partners alleged the wholesaler hid behind companies that were designated as service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses to illegally avoid competitive bidding for government contracts to supply radiopharmaceuticals. (Silverman, 8/25)
In financial news —
Stat: STAT+ Conversations: 23andMe CEO Says Spit Kit Sales Are Picking Up During The Covid-19 Pandemic
Last year saw a significant slowdown for 23andMe’s spit kit sales — and while business has picked back up during the pandemic, sales still haven’t rebounded to the level they were at in 2018 or even 2019, the company’s CEO Anne Wojcicki told STAT. In January, 23andMe announced it was laying off 14% of employees — or roughly 100 workers — due to declining sales. The company said at the time that its restructuring would affect its consumer business. (Robbins, 8/25)
Boston Globe: Boston Telehealth Company Amwell Files To Sell Shares To Public, Google
American Well Corp., a Boston telehealth company known as Amwell, said it plans to sell shares to the public and Google, amid a surge in demand for remote health services. The company, founded by brothers Ido and Roy Schoenberg in 2006, didn’t disclose the number of shares or target price for its initial public offering. In a registration statement filed Monday with securities regulators, it listed a placeholder value of $100 million. (Edelman, 6/25)
Stat: Acadia Buys Pain Drug Maker, As It Seeks To Build On Psychosis Treatment
Acadia Pharmaceuticals is purchasing a small Texas startup, CerSci, for $52 million in order to acquire a pain drug in the early stages of development, the company said Tuesday. If the drug succeeds, CerSci could receive an additional $887 million in payments for hitting commercial and development milestones. (Herper, 8/25)
Dallas Morning News: UT Dallas Biotech Startup Pursuing Non-Opioid Pain Therapy Sells To California Firm For $52.5 Million
University of Texas at Dallas biotech startup CerSci Therapeutics has been bought by a San Diego pharmaceuticals company for $52.5 million in a deal that could later reward its backers with hundreds of millions more. Founded in 2015, CerSci is developing therapies for pain that don’t come with the addictive properties and side effects of opioids. (DiFurio, 8/25)
