Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Shortage Of 2 Sanofi Pompe Disease Meds Causes Treatments To Be Postponed, Reduced
Stat: Sanofi Experiencing Shortage Of Two Pompe Disease Drugs
Sanofi is experiencing shortages of two medicines used to treat Pompe disease, and the problem emerged shortly after the Food and Drug Administration warned the company over manufacturing issues at the Irish facility where the drugs are made. (Silverman, 8/9)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Patients Starting To Receive Pancreatic Cancer Drug
When she heard about a new, experimental drug to treat pancreatic cancer, Rachelle Gardner tried not to get her hopes up. She wondered: Would she be eligible for the medication? Would her hospital be allowed to give it to her? Would she live long enough to get it? (Schencker, 8/9)
Stat: Radiopharma, A Drug Class Driving Excitement, Hits New Hurdles
In cancer treatment, the pitch has been simple: What if, instead of blasting radiation across patients’ bodies, crop-dusting not only malignant cells but also neighboring healthy tissues, we could shoot chemical weapons directly at only the noxious tumors? (DeAngelis, 8/10)
MedPage Today: Donor Hearts May Work Better If Stored Slightly Warmer
Colder was not better when it came to donor heart storage, according to preliminary findings from a retrospective analysis. (Lou, 8/7)
And in healthcare industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Outcome Health Founders Lose Appeal Of Fraud Convictions
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the fraud convictions of Outcome Health founders Rishi Shah and Shradha Agarwal, whose company once was a darling of the Chicago tech scene. The pair was convicted in 2023, along with fellow executive Brad Purdy, of defrauding customers, as well as investors and lenders. (Pletz, 8/7)
The CT Mirror: Trinity Health Cited Most Among CT Hospitals For Patient Safety
Two Connecticut hospitals owned by one of the largest nonprofit Catholic health systems in the country have struggled in recent years with serious shortcomings when it comes to patient care. (Golvala, 8/9)
Modern Healthcare: CMS' Rural Health Transformation Program Faces Red Tape Pushback
A group of Washington hospitals received more than $5.4 million as part of a federal grant program that aims to increase access to care in rural communities. Red tape may limit its impact. The award from the state, part of $181.3 million Washington received from the Rural Health Transformation Program, went to the Rural Collaborative. The collaborative supports 31 public rural hospitals’ contracting, staffing and operations. (Kacik, 8/7)
KFF Health News: Same Knee Surgery, Twice The Price: Hospital Monopolies Push Up Healthcare Costs
More than a million times a year, a U.S. surgeon slices open a knee, strips out worn cartilage, caps the leg bones with metal, and drops in a plastic spacer to allow the new joint to glide. While knee replacement procedures have become standard, however, the prices charged have not. (Whoriskey, 8/10)
In obituaries —
The New York Times: Dr. Maura L. Gillison, Who Linked Throat Cancers To HPV, Dies At 61
Dr. Maura L. Gillison once told an interviewer that she had wanted to be a doctor and a scientist since childhood. She trained in ballet, but as she grew to 6-foot-2, dance became an unlikely career path because she felt that it would draw too much attention to her height. Instead, she forged a trailblazing career studying head and neck cancers as a medical oncologist and a molecular epidemiologist. (Longman, 8/9)
