Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most Of Doctors' X Posts Endorsing Drugs Or Devices Came With Payment
Stat: Many Docs Who Tweeted Product Endorsements Also Took Money From Manufacturers, Analysis Shows
Most physicians who endorsed a prescription drug or medical device on X — formerly known as Twitter — also received payments from the manufacturers of these products, according to a new analysis that highlights ongoing concerns about financial ties between doctors and industry. (Silverman, 5/30)
Stat: Novartis Sues Maryland Over Contract Pharmacies In Drug Discount Program
Novartis has filed a lawsuit seeking to block a Maryland law that requires the company to ship its medicines to any pharmacy working with hospitals participating in a controversial U.S. government drug discount program. (Silverman, 5/30)
Reuters: Wegovy Maker Novo Nordisk Sues Nine Spas, Clinics And Pharmacies Over Copycat Drugs
Novo Nordisk said on Thursday it had sued nine more medical spas, wellness clinics and pharmacies in the U.S. for selling products claiming to contain semaglutide, the key ingredient in its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy. The Danish drugmaker has now filed 21 lawsuits since June over the sale of copycat versions of semaglutide. Five sellers have been barred from selling their disputed products. One lawsuit has been amended after samples it tested were found to be as much as 33% impure. (Wingrove, 5/30)
CNBC: Half Of Workers May Struggle To Get Obesity Drug Insurance Coverage
Companies are increasing access to new blockbuster weight-loss drugs for employees, but size of employer may make a big difference in early access. Small businesses and their workers are often stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to this burgeoning health insurance coverage market. (Munk, 5/30)
On seizing patents —
Reuters: US Senator Warren Pushes To Cement Pharmaceutical Patent Seizure Policy
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and another Democratic lawmaker on Thursday said they had sent a letter urging the Department of Commerce to finalize its policy on when the government can seize patents on drugs and other products whose research it funded. The Biden administration in December announced it was setting a new policy that would allow it to seize patents for technologies developed with government funding if it believed their prices were too high. (Wingrove, 5/30)
