Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Michigan Attorney General Warns Of Medical Brace Scamming Issue
CBS News: Attorney General Dana Nessel Warns Consumers Of Medical Brace Scams
Attorney General Dana Nessel is warning people about medical brace scams. ... "While there is only one confirmed Michigan resident who was targeted by this latest scam, it is critical that we alert other residents who may have also been targeted by similar operators," Nessel said. "The scam of mailing or prescribing unneeded durable medical equipment costs Medicare tens of millions of dollars every year, sometimes disqualifying patients for these devices when they really need them." (Dawson, 12/9)
In pharmaceutical news —
Reuters: Ozempic Side Effects Lawsuit Can Move Forward
A Louisiana federal judge on Friday largely rejected Novo Nordisk’s bid to dismiss one of the earliest lawsuits brought against the pharmaceutical company over side effects of its blockbuster drug Ozempic. U.S. District Judge James Cain Jr said plaintiff Jaclyn Bjorklund had provided enough support at this point in the case for her claim that Novo failed to warn her doctors about the risk of gastroparesis, a slowdown in the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine, associated with the drug. (Jones, 12/8)
Stat: CAR-T Helps Other Autoimmune Patients In Small Study
When the first lupus patient received CAR-T therapy, researchers watched in amazement as her autoimmune disease rapidly went into remission. Then, they monitored her disease anxiously for months, wondering if it would return — especially as her immune B cells began recovering. Now, two and a half years later, the researchers reported at the annual American Society of Hematology meeting that not only is this patient still in complete remission without the use of any immunosuppressive drugs, 14 other autoimmune patients treated with CAR-T are as well. (Chen, 12/9)
Stat: First Published Case Of Lymphoma Linked To CAR-T Therapy Is Examined
Researchers on Saturday presented an unusual case of a T cell lymphoma marked with a CAR, the key synthetic protein in CAR-T therapy, in an online abstract for the American Society of Hematology annual meeting. It is the first published case of the rare blood cancer that’s associated with a commercial CAR-T product, the Janssen/Legend Biotech drug Carvykti, or cilta-cel in this case. But researchers are still untangling how much — if it all — the therapy contributed to the development of the blood cancer. (Chen, 12/9)
CIDRAP: New FDA Report Shows More Antibiotics Being Sold For Food Animals
New data released yesterday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show that sales of medically important antibiotics for use in food-producing animals rose by 4% last year. ... Since 2017, antibiotic sales have steadily risen—a trend that advocates for better antibiotic stewardship in food-animal production say indicates the FDA isn't doing enough to ensure more judicious antibiotic use on farms. (Dall, 12/8)
On the opioid crisis —
Stateline: States Strive To Get Opioid Overdose Drug To More People
Posing as shoppers, a team of researchers from the University of Mississippi called nearly 600 pharmacies across the state and asked a simple, yes-or-no question: “Do you have naloxone that I can pick up today?” ...The results of the survey, conducted last year, were disheartening: Despite the Mississippi law, 41% of the pharmacies the researchers called refused to dispense naloxone. Only 37% had naloxone available for same-day pickup. Most of the pharmacies saying they could not immediately provide naloxone said it required a prescription, which was false. (Claire Vollers, 12/8)
Stat: Vertex Nears Turning Point In Pursuit Of Non-Opioid Painkillers
For decades, the biotech industry has tried — and repeatedly failed — to develop new and effective painkillers without the addictive potential of opioids. But there’s reason to think that could begin to change soon. (Wosen, 12/11)
Los Angeles Times: 31 Pharmacies In Mexico Are Shut As Authorities Crack Down On Fentanyl-Tainted Pills
Mexican authorities raided dozens of pharmacies in Ensenada and seized thousands of boxes of pills as part of a broader effort to crack down on drugstores suspected of selling counterfeit and fentanyl-tainted medications. The joint effort by the Mexican navy and federal health authorities is at least the third such operation this year. (Sheets, Blakinger and Mejia, 12/10)
