Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Merck Drug Sees Failures In Treating Head And Neck Cancer
Reuters: Merck's Keytruda Fails Head And Neck Cancer Trial
Merck & Co Inc said on Wednesday its cancer therapy Keytruda failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage trial testing it in patients with head and neck cancer. The company said Keytruda, its blockbuster cancer drug, in combination with chemoraditation therapy showed improvement in event-free survival, or the period of time a patient remains free of complications compared to a placebo. (7/20)
In news on health worker matters —
Modern Healthcare: More Physicians Seek Unions Amid Changing Landscape, COVID-19
Dr. Monique Hedmann, a family medicine resident at Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center in West Carson, works with patients from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But her day doesn't end there. (Christ, 7/20)
Bloomberg: Nurse Burnout Reaches New High As Latest Omicron Variant Surges
Many people may be moving on from Covid, but nurses certainly aren’t — and as the latest variant sweeps the US, the mental stresses on the profession have reached new highs. A survey of 2,500 nurses released Wednesday finds that 64% are looking to leave the health-care profession, a nearly 40% increase from a similar survey a year ago. Three-quarters of those surveyed said they’ve experienced burnout since the pandemic began and half said they had experienced feelings of trauma, extreme stress or PTSD. (Johnson, 7/20)
Stat: As Health Care Faces Nursing Shortages, Nurses Are Flocking To Remote Jobs
Burned out and fed up with their work conditions, nurses are leaving the bedside in droves, leaving empty positions and for-hire signs lingering in hospitals and clinics around the country. (Palmer, 7/21)
On other industry developments —
Axios: Health Industry Profits Projected To Rise Following The Pandemic
Health care profits will rise significantly over the next few years, according to a new McKinsey & Company estimate — further evidence that providers and payers are doing just fine in the wake of the pandemic. (Owens, 7/20)
Bloomberg: Apple Argues It’s Now a Major Force in the Health-Care World
Apple Inc. published a nearly 60-page report Wednesday outlining all its health features and partnerships with medical institutions, arguing that such offerings are key to the tech giant’s future. The company pointed to its breadth of existing services -- from sleep monitoring and fitness classes to atrial-fibrillation detection and cycle tracking -- and promised to build on that foundation. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who oversees Apple’s health endeavors, said in a statement attached to the report that the company will continue to innovate in “science-based technology.” (Gurman, 7/20)
Bloomberg: Early Spotify Backer Puts $101 Million In Mental Health Venture
A Swedish non-profit organization focused on improving the mental-well being of young adults has attracted 100 million euros ($101 million) in funding from its founders, Annika Sten Parson and Par-Jorgen Parson. The Inner Foundation was set up by the husband-and-wife duo this year and has already made a number of investments including Meela, a platform offering personalized therapy for women, and StrongMinds, a non-profit for treating depression in sub-Saharan Africa. (Liman, 7/21)
Reuters: Biogen Leans On New Alzheimer's Drug To Calm Investor Worries
Biogen Inc (BIIB.O) on Wednesday tried to assuage investor worries by laying out a plan for its Alzheimer's disease drug being developed with Eisai Co Ltd (4523.T) and promising to draw lessons from the setbacks to its treatment Aduhelm. Biogen also disclosed that it had agreed to pay $900 million to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit accusing it of paying doctors kickbacks to prescribe multiple sclerosis drugs. The case had been set to go on trial next week in Boston. It did not admit wrongdoing. (Mishra, 7/20)
Stat: Biogen Agrees To Pay $900 Million To Settle Whistleblower Case Alleging Kickbacks And Sham Speaking Events
After a decade of legal squabbling, Biogen has agreed in principle to pay $900 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a former employee who alleged the company paid kickbacks to hundreds of physicians to boost sales of its multiple sclerosis drugs. (Silverman, 7/20)
Modern Healthcare: Providence Cuts Leadership Team, Operations To Save Money
Providence, a Washington-based not-for-profit health system, is shrinking its executive team and streamlining some functions as it faces operational challenges. (Hudson, 7/20)
Also: how the health care system stymied one couple's quest for autism care —
KHN: ‘So Rudderless’: A Couple’s Quest For Autism Treatment For Their Son Hits Repeated Obstacles
When Sebastian Rios was a toddler, he hardly talked. “Don’t worry,” his pediatrician told Amparo and Victor Rios, Sebastian’s parents. Kids who grow up in households in which both Spanish and English are spoken are sometimes slower to develop language skills, she said. Plus, Sebastian was developing well in other ways: When he was just 18 months old, for example, he could identify the magnetized letters of the alphabet on the refrigerator at their home in Bronxville, a short train ride north of New York City. (Andrews, 7/21)
