Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Is CRISPR The Antidote Of The Future?
Bloomberg: CRISPR Gene-Editing Breakthrough Brings Cancer Cures Closer
A 13-year old girl in the UK saw her cancer go into remission after becoming the first person in the world to receive a treatment that relies on a newer type of Crispr gene editing called base editing. (Lisa Jarvis, 12/13)
The New York Times: CRISPR Can Cure Disease By Editing A Person’s DNA. Now What?
Several approved gene therapy medicines now exist. All involve taking a virus, replacing its harmful contents with a disease-treating gene, and injecting it into a person (or exposing the person’s cells to that virus in a dish and putting them back). (Fyodor Urnov, 12/9)
Stat: Expand Methadone Access For People With Opioid Use Disorder
Physicians who specialize in addiction treatment and who care for people with opioid use disorder in settings outside of institutional opioid treatment programs are hamstrung by unscientific federal regulations that prohibit them from prescribing methadone for treating opioid use disorder. (Greg Rudolf, 12/12)
The New York Times: What Comes Next For The War On Drugs? The Beginning Of The End
The MAT Act would eliminate the special Drug Enforcement Administration waiver that doctors must apply for in order to prescribe buprenorphine (a medication that helps reduce the craving for opioids). (12/12)
Bloomberg: Amgen-Horizon's $27.8 Billion Merger Makes Strategic Sense
Pharma investors are finally getting the M&A they’ve been craving. Amgen Inc. is paying $27.8 billion in cash for Horizon Therapeutics Plc, adding a portfolio of drugs for rare autoimmune diseases. (Lisa Jarvis, 12/12)
