Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA OKs Sanofi's Teplizumab To Help Treat Stage 3 Diabetes In Kids
Stat: FDA Approves Sanofi Diabetes Drug For Children With Stage 3 Diabetes
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved teplizumab, a type 1 diabetes drug developed by Sanofi, for children aged 8 and older with stage 3 diabetes. (Lawrence, 6/13)
Stat: A 'Never Event' Becomes More Common As Pfizer's Bicillin L-A Runs Short
The request was an emergency. In late March, a woman in Gila County, Arizona, was diagnosed with syphilis, and she was pregnant. She needed an injection of penicillin — if possible, 30 days before delivery — but the bacteria corkscrewing through her body increased her risk of delivering early. Without timely treatment, her pregnancy could end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death, and if the infant survived, the child might live with bone deformities, brain damage, blindness, and deafness, among other complications. (Boodman, 6/15)
Modern Healthcare: FTC, Optum Rx Reach Proposed PBM Insulin Rebate Settlement
The Federal Trade Commission’s insulin prices case may be nearing a conclusion after the agency disclosed a provisional deal with Optum Rx on Friday. The FTC and the UnitedHealth Group unit have signed off on a proposed consent agreement that would resolve accusations that the pharmacy benefit manager and its chief competitors structured pharmaceutical rebates and formularies to artificially inflate insulin prices, the agency wrote in an order to withdraw the case from adjudication. (Tong, 6/12)
CNBC: GLP-1s: Lilly, Novo, Pfizer Look To New Weight Loss Drugs
Drugmakers are only months into introducing GLP-1 pills and navigating huge changes in how patients pay for weight-loss drugs. Even so, they’re already outlining their visions for the future of obesity drugs. (Peebles, 6/13)
More from the healthcare industry —
Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Embrace Virtual Care Despite Financial Pressure
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring can increase access to care at hospitals and health systems taxed by growing patient demand, but the care methods are driving financial pressures due to factors like unreimbursed care and rising utility costs, according to Strata Decision Technology’s latest trends report. (Asplund, 6/12)
Bloomberg: Matt Holt Said To Near $12 Billion Deal For Ensemble Health
Private-equity executive Matt Holt’s investment firm Thoreau Group is in advanced talks to acquire Ensemble Health Partners in a deal valuing the company at about $12 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. A deal could be signed imminently, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the details are private. Thoreau, backed by Apollo Global Management Inc., will be the controlling shareholder of Ensemble, the people said. (Davis and Gould, 6/12)
Modern Healthcare: Helium-Free MRI Scanners Gain Traction At Mayo, Cleveland Clinic
Providers are ordering more imaging scans than ever, and health systems are investing in new MRI scanners that are less expensive to install and operate. Helium-free MRI scanners aren’t really helium-free, but they come close, and recent product introductions from companies like Philips, Siemens Healthineers and GE HealthCare are gaining traction. The expanding choice of products for healthcare providers to consider comes as the greater need for imaging from an aging population bumps into geopolitical forces that threaten worldwide supply lines for this nonrenewable resource and raise prices. (Dubinsky, 6/12)
The Wall Street Journal: The Future Of Health Technology
When it comes to the diseases that threaten to steal our healthy years—Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, arthritis—they all have one thing in common: By the time we get diagnosed, often much of the damage is already done. (Parker-Pope, 6/14)
