Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Patent Battle Over Generic Versions Of Gilead HIV Drug Settled
Reuters: Gilead Settles Patent Fight With Generic Drugmakers Over HIV Drugs
Gilead Sciences Inc has settled patent disputes with five drugmakers over proposed generic versions of its blockbuster HIV drugs Descovy and Odefsey and hepatitis B drug Vemlidy, it said Monday in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Generic drugmakers Apotex Inc, Lupin Ltd, Cipla Ltd, Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Hetero Labs Ltd will receive non-exclusive licenses to the patents, allowing them to sell generic versions of the HIV drugs starting in October 2031 and Vemlidy in January 2032, according to the filing. (Brittain, 9/12)
In health industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Declines Coming Post-COVID
Health insurance companies that sell Medicare Advantage plans enjoyed higher star ratings, and the extra dollars that come with them, during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's about to end. (Tepper, 9/12)
Reuters: GE Healthcare To Be Spun Off In January, Gets New Board
General Electric on Monday set the first week of 2023 to complete the spinoff of its healthcare unit and named a new board for the planned independent company. The new board members of the unit, which will be named GE HealthCare, include its chief executive officer, Peter Arduini, as well as executives from Honeywell International Inc and Amazon Web Services. (9/12)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: New Details: Financial Rescue Planned For Grady Health System In Atlanta
State officials are discussing a one-time aid package of nearly $200 million for Grady Health System, made up of federal relief dollars and tens of millions lined up through private philanthropies, according to three officials with knowledge of the talks. (Bluestein and Landergan, 9/12)
USA Today: Texas Doctor Warmed IV Bags, Causing Cardiac Issues And Death: Board
A Texas physician has been suspended and federal officials are investigating him after multiple patients suffered serious cardiac complications and one died, the Texas Medical Board said. The board found that if Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. continues to practice medicine, he'd pose a threat to public health and safety. (Martin, 9/12)
Stat: States’ Efforts Show Drug Cost Isn't Biggest Obstacle To Eliminating Hep C
For nearly a decade, many experts assumed the biggest obstacle to eliminating hepatitis C was the sky-high cost of the new cures. (Florko, 9/13)
KHN: Medical Coding Creates Barriers To Care For Transgender Patients
Last year, Tim Chevalier received the first of many coverage denials from his insurance company for the hair removal procedure he needed as part of a phalloplasty, the creation of a penis. Electrolysis is a common procedure among transgender people like Chevalier, a software developer in Oakland, California. In some cases, it’s used to remove unwanted hair from the face or body. But it’s also required for a phalloplasty or a vaginoplasty, the creation of a vagina, because all hair must be removed from the tissue that will be relocated during surgery. (Santoro, 9/13)
KHN: As State Institutions Close, Families Of Longtime Residents Face Agonizing Choices
Mike Lee’s way of life has faded away in most of the United States, and it soon will vanish from southwestern Iowa. Lee, 57, has spent 44 years at the Glenwood Resource Center, a state-run institution for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. He has autism and epilepsy, and his parents decided when he was 13 that he needed the structure and constant oversight offered by a large facility. Theirs was a common decision at the time. It no longer is. (Leys, 9/13)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: YouTube Partners With Morehouse, Others On Health Equity Videos
YouTube and Kaiser Family Foundation will provide video training and resources for staff at not-for-profits that support underrepresented and underserved communities. The program is designed to help organizations get health information to a broader audience through YouTube. The program is dubbed THE-IQ, for tackling health equity through information quality. (Kim Cohen, 9/12)
