National Black Women’s Group Sues J&J Over Baby Powder Cancer Issues

CBS News: Black Women's Organization Sues Johnson & Johnson Over Talcum-Based Powder
A national Black women's group is suing Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company marketed its baby powder to Black women for decades despite knowing it had ingredients that could cause ovarian cancer. The National Council of Negro Women, or NCNW, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the Superior Court of New Jersey. The organization claims in the lawsuit that several of its members have used Johnson & Johnson baby powder for years and now have ovarian cancer. (Brooks, 7/27)

ABC News: Ben Crump Files Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson On Behalf Of Black Women 
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the pharmaceutical giant marketed talcum-based baby powder specifically to Black women despite links to ovarian cancers. Johnson & Johnson has denied the allegations, saying its marketing campaigns are "multicultural and inclusive." The company also denies that its products cause cancer, despite a Missouri appellate court last year ruling in favor of ovarian cancer victims suing the company as part of a separate lawsuit, claiming their condition was caused by asbestos in its baby powder and other talc products. (Thorbecke and Washington, 7/27)

In other pharmaceutical industry developments —

Axios: Biogen Pulled Aduhelm Paper After JAMA Demanded Edits 
Biogen recently submitted a paper to JAMA, a top medical research journal, that analyzed results from the clinical trials of its new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm. However, Biogen later withdrew the paper because JAMA considered rejecting it unless edits were made, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The FDA's decision to approve Aduhelm has been mired in controversy; experts say there simply isn't strong enough data to show the drug works. And it appears medical journal reviewers also weren't sold on Biogen's interpretation of the data. (Herman, 7/27)

Stat: Purdue Says Most Creditors Voted In Favor Of Contentious Bankruptcy Plan
In an apparent victory for Purdue Pharma, preliminary voting shows most creditors are in favor of its controversial bankruptcy plan, an outcome that, if confirmed, suggests the company and its infamous owners are closer to resolving sweeping litigation filed over its role in the opioid crisis. More than 95% of the 120,000-plus votes submitted were in favor of the bankruptcy proposal and nearly 97% of almost 5,000 state and local governmental creditors voted to accept the plan, according to a statement issued by the company that cited a court filing. The final tally will be made public by Aug. 2, ahead of a scheduled hearing in a U.S. bankruptcy court to confirm the proposal. (Silverman, 7/27)

Crain's New York Business: Humana Sues Regeneron Over Pricing Of Macular Degeneration Drug Eylea
Insurance company Humana filed a racketeering and fraud lawsuit against Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Thursday over a copay assistance scheme for its top-selling drug, Eylea. Humana's suit is based on allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice last year that Regeneron gave a patient-assistance charity kickbacks to boost sales of Eylea, which treats age-related macular degeneration. That case is ongoing in Boston's federal court. Humana accused Regeneron of inflating the drug's price from $1,500 a dose to $1,950 by partnering with the charity, the Chronic Disease Foundation, to cover patients' cost-sharing obligations for Eylea but not for its competitor. The arrangement boosted Eylea sales at the expense of Medicare and health plans, which shouldered the rest of the cost, the insurer said in its complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York. (Kaufman, 7/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Big Pharma Quietly Pushes Back On Global Tax Deal, Citing Covid-19 Role
Big drug companies and their lobbyists have a message for Congress: Don’t raise taxes on the industry that brought you fast-tracked Covid-19 vaccines. Pharma executives, lobbyists and consultants are mobilizing to fight what has become a threat to drug companies’ bottom lines: a sweeping agreement by many of the world’s biggest economies to better harmonize corporate taxation around the globe. Earlier this month, 130 countries agreed to broad outlines of a deal that would, among other steps, establish a minimum corporate tax of 15% within their countries, reducing opportunities for international tax avoidance. (Strasburg and Cooper, 7/27)

Also —

Stat: Activists Get New Ammunition In Their Battle Over A Controversial Animal Test
In what animal rights activists see as a significant development, a pair of U.K. health regulators recently wrote that drug researchers should seek alternatives to a controversial test in rodents that is used for developing antidepressants. At issue is the forced swim test in which mice, rats, guinea pigs, and gerbils are placed in beakers filled with water and forced to swim in order to keep from drowning. The test has been used to gauge the effectiveness of antidepressants based on the theory that an animal will swim longer and spend less time floating after being given one of these pills. (Silverman, 7/27)

NPR: Scientists Genetically Alter Lab Mosquitoes So Carriers Of Malaria Self-Destruct
For the first time, scientists have shown that a new kind of genetic engineering can crash populations of malaria-spreading mosquitoes. In the landmark study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers placed the genetically modified mosquitoes in a special laboratory that simulated the conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where they spread the deadly disease. The male mosquitoes were engineered with a sequence of DNA known as a "gene drive" that can rapidly transmit a deleterious mutation that essentially wipes out populations of the insects. (Stein, 7/28)