Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Opioid Epidemic: Purdue Pleads Guilty
USA Today: Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty To Charges, Admits Role In Opioid Epidemic
Purdue Pharma, the company that invented the painkiller OxyContin, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three federal criminal charges and admitted its role in fueling the decades-long opioid epidemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives. Steve Miller, chairperson for Purdue's Board of Directors, admitted via video conference to a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, that the company had not run an effective program to avoid the illegal diversion of prescription drugs to the black market, had reported misleading information to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to boost its manufacturing quotas and had impeded that agency's effort to fight the burgeoning epidemic. (Janoski, 11/24)
AP: OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty In Criminal Case
Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market, even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company manufacturing quotas. (Mulvihill, 11/24)
CNN: Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty To Federal Criminal Charges Related To Nation's Opioid Crisis
In pleading guilty to the criminal charges, the company is taking responsibility for past misconduct, Purdue Pharma said in a statement to CNN Tuesday. "Having our plea accepted in federal court, and taking responsibility for past misconduct, is an essential step to preserve billions of dollars of value for creditors and advance our goal of providing financial resources and lifesaving medicines to address the opioid crisis," the statement said. (Del Valle, 11/24)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Boston Globe: Alnylam Wins FDA Approval For First Drug To Treat Rare Kidney Disease
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. scored its third approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in as many years Monday, this time for a medicine to treat a rare disease that affects the kidneys. The rare disorder — called primary hyperoxaluria type 1 — causes a buildup of oxalate in the body, which when not filtered properly can cause kidney and bladder stones. (Gardizy, 11/24)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Monoclonal Antibody Drugs Raise Hopes For Keeping High-Risk COVID-19 Patients Out Of The Hospital. But It’s Complicated.
With daily coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations soaring, the debut of two medicines that can help keep high-risk COVID-19 patients out of the hospital would seem to be a breakthrough. Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody treatment was authorized for emergency use earlier this month. Regeneron’s version — a mix of two antibodies that President Donald Trump received after his diagnosis in October — was authorized on Saturday. (McCullough, 11/24)
