Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lure Of Incentives Draws Pharma Into Previously Neglected Realm Of Antibiotic Drugs
Bloomberg: There's Big Money Again In Saving Humanity With Antibiotics
With the planet on the brink of losing its miracle cures for bacterial diseases, research incentives from governments are spurring drugmakers to renew efforts to fight antimicrobial resistance and replenish the arsenal of infection-fighting drugs. Giants such as Roche Holding AG and Merck & Co. are stepping up their efforts in the field while a host of startups seek partners to help market new products. (Gale and Fourcade, 6/30)
Bloomberg: Why Drug Companies Want To Sell Vaccines To Pregnant Women
Pregnant women have until recently been off limits, even though researchers long ago saw potential in maternal inoculations that could save lives. “It took me awhile to figure out what the problem was,” says Carol Baker of Baylor College of Medicine, who has studied a bacteria called group B streptococcus that can cause meningitis in infants. “The problem was the word ‘pregnancy.”’ (Koons and Gokhale, 6/30)
Stat: New Ovarian Cancer Drugs Raise Hope — But Not For All
Promising new therapies are springing up to treat ovarian cancer, long one of the most deadly and hard to treat malignancies. The latest: An experimental drug from Tesaro, a small biotech company based in Waltham, Mass. The company on Wednesday released exciting clinical trial data for an experimental drug that’s meant to stop cancer cells from repairing themselves after they’ve been hit by chemotherapy. (Keshavan, 6/30)
The Fiscal TImes: Why A Cheap New Wonder Drug May Not Be Such A Bargain After All
There’s a little bit of good news on the drug pricing front with Gilead Sciences’ announcement Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration has approved a highly effective but considerably cheaper version of Sovaldi to treat the often lethal hepatitis C virus. Gilead has long been a poster child for excessive drug pricing practices involving critically needed, state-of-the-art drugs like Sovaldi, which costs $1,000 per pill before discounts, or as much as $84,000 for a full course of treatment. (Pianin, 6/29)
Stat: World’s First Malaria Vaccine Delays – Doesn’t Prevent – Infection
A new study of the world’s first malaria vaccine suggests that three doses of the vaccine do not prevent infection in the long term and may cause what’s described as a rebound, with vaccinated children in high-risk areas contracting the illness later. (Branswell, 6/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Brexit Could Boost Drug Costs For Britain’s National Health Service
A funding boost for Britain’s National Health Service was one of the campaign promises that carried the Vote Leave campaign to victory in last week’s historic referendum. But in at least one way, the Brexit vote is likely to hurt the cash-strapped health system. The sharp fall in the pound is hurting traders that sell cut-price drugs to the NHS after importing them from other parts of Europe. (Roland, 6/29)
