Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Looks Into Optum Rx, Express Scripts, CVS Caremark After Claims Of Retaliation Over PBM Legislation
Modern Healthcare: Optum Rx, Express Scripts, CVS Caremark Face House Probe
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is demanding answers about what Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) alleges may be retaliation by leading pharmacy benefit managers against supporters of PBM legislation. According to Comer, after independent pharmacies publicly declared their support for PBM legislation this summer, they reported being subject to audits by PBMs. (Young and Tong, 10/23)
In other pharma and tech developments —
CIDRAP: Long-Acting Injected Combo Drug Keeps HIV In Check, Real-World Study Finds
A new study finds that a long-acting, injectable treatment for HIV works as well in the real world as in controlled clinical trials. Researchers found that Cabenuva, an injection of the drugs cabotegravir and rilpivirine, suppressed HIV to undetectable levels in 94% of people in the study, presented today at ID Week, a medical conference about infectious diseases in Washington, DC. (Szabo, 10/23)
The Hill: FDA Issues Nationwide Recall On These Compound GLP-1 Drugs Over Sterility Concerns
The FDA has issued a recall for 23 GLP-1 compounded vials from Apothecary Pharma LLC due to lack of assurance the vials are sterile. The FDA has designated the recall as Class II, meaning exposure to the products could cause reversible or temporary health consequences and poses little risk of serious consequences from use, according to the FDA website. (Jaime, 10/23)
Fortune: Biotech Firm Rakuten Medical Wants To Bring Its Novel 'Lightsaber' Cancer Cure To The U.S.
Minami Maeda, CEO of Rakuten Medical, hopes he can get doctors to stop using their scalpels and try something more science-fiction instead. (Ang, 10/26)
NBC News: New Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Dramatically Improves Survival
Within weeks of being diagnosed with the deadliest form of lung cancer, Jay Goldberg began planning his own funeral. (Sullivan, 10/24)
The New York Times: Melanoma Vaccine Ushers In New Hope For Cancer Patients
An experimental vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna could become the first vaccine of its kind used to treat cancer. Scientists hope it won’t be the last. On Thursday, the drug makers announced that patients with melanoma who received a vaccine tailored to help their immune systems attack their tumors were 42 percent less likely to experience a recurrence of the cancer within two years than those who did not receive the vaccine. The companies have yet to show the treatment can prolong melanoma patients’ overall survival. (Agrawal, 10/23)
Stat: What's Next For Cancer Vaccines After Successful Melanoma Study
With the first pivotal trial showing a customized mRNA treatment improved outcomes for cancer patients presented here this weekend, the conversation has already turned to how melanoma specialists should adopt the medicine — and how widely these novel vaccines can be deployed. (Joseph, 10/25)
